


A Storm is Coming

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown Third Series [5]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-31
Updated: 2012-08-31
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 23,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Bad weather and bad attitudes hit LazyTown during the holiday season. There doesn't seem to be a cure and things get worse when Stephanie lets a secret slip. Will our heroes save the day or end up a casualty of the evil inside?Again the age difference is not substantial





	1. Chapter 1

Summer soon came to a close and Fall quickly after that. Now in the beginning of December, Sportacus dropped by Robbie's house for a quick but important meeting.

"You ever think of moving out of here?" The above average hero asked as the former villain let him into his Lair. He wasn't evil anymore so "Lair" wasn't entirely appropriate but "home" didn't seem right either.

"Where am I going to go with all my toys? Besides, it's cool in the summer and warm in the winter," Robbie smiled.

"True. Hey thanks again for seeing me on short notice but I'm afraid I can't keep slipping and skating around on these. My first winter and so far I've managed to bruise my butt more than I thought humanly possible," Sportacus chuckled.

"Well you have Pinky to massage it for you, it can't be all bad," Robbie chuckled as he went over to his lab table, which just made Sportacus turn a brilliant red. He was a private person and talking about such things often made him uncomfortable. He could barely keep it together when he and Sam had had that talk the former Marine had promised him.

"Although I have to wonder what the former Mayor thinks about that," again the purple wearing man chuckled and Sportacus heaved a sigh. Milford had been especially doting over his niece the past few months and it had been driving both of them up a wall. Stephanie was twenty-six now and not exactly a little kid. Besides that it wasn't like she was going to marry the local rapscallion, it was Sportacus as so often Stephanie had to remind him.

"We're dealing. Both of us are just looking forward to making it official this summer," the hero smiled.

"Well that's cool. I bet Amanda and Trixie are keeping her busy with the plans," Robbie said handing over a special pair of boots he'd been working on. Sportacus took a seat and tried to get them on his prosthetic legs after removing the other pair of blue boots.

"She wants to invite the whole town. I said it would be nice to just have our closest friends. I mean I have no one from my side of the family to invite. I am as they say, the last of my kind," the hero told him.

"So no cousin to be Number Eleven? No siblings?" Robbie was somewhat surprised. After all, it was a dangerous line of work but certainly not all of his family had gone.

"My father, Number Nine, went to Odin about eighteen years ago. I only took up the mantel of Number Ten when my mother passed the next year. I was an only child and my parents never mentioned any siblings. I left my home and made LazyTown home," Sportacus shrugged and wiggled his new boots before continuing,

"They seem to fit great. Thanks for getting them together so quickly. According to the weathermen, we're in for a nasty storm in the next couple of days and I had best be prepared."

"Good. Then do me a favor, give this to Pinky. She may need it too," Robbie handed over a hanger with clothes inside of what looked like a dry cleaning bag.

"You start a new business I don't know about?" Sportacus asked.

"I don't just make cleaning robots. I also make seamstress robots for those stay at home moms who can't sew or for those working moms that don't have the time. New product line in time for Christmas. I figure if that works, I'll expand to a cooking robot," Robbie said.

"How do you have the time to make all of these?" The hero wanted to know.

"Pixel is going into business with me. He's quitting his old job and we're looking to buy one of the old factories down in the industrial side of town. Amanda is going to join in once we see how things go and then she'll get us international recognition with a website and advertising," Robbie was very excited.

"Of course with your prosthetics business on the side?" Sportacus asked.

"I've given that up. FunTown hospital appreciates my designs and they do all the hard work," he winked before saying,

"Off you go. You don't want to get stuck down here if and when that storm hits." Sportacus nodded and thanked him once again before taking off for home.


	2. Chapter 2

Stephanie woke to the sound of her alarm clock radio coming on. Usually the news came on but instead all she got was static. Confused, she shut it off and rolled out of bed. She headed for the bedroom door and turned on the light before opening the door. Sportacus had not come home last night and she had been worried but when she'd gotten a call from him saying he was heading to the airship, she figured he'd spent the night there. He'd done it before, not wanting to disturb her because she had to be up early for her job at the museum.

Picking out her clothes and heading for the shower she tried to go over everything that needed to be done today. At the history museum she was the designated tour guide for small groups but occasionally a school field trip would come in and she and the other tour guide, Joe, would take care of the group, leaving the curator to take care of any other tours that came in. They were a small group in a small museum but they managed.

Now out of the shower, she quickly dressed and headed out into the kitchen where she fired up the coffee pot. Digging around in the fridge, she noticed that the kitchen seemed colder than usual and after putting the milk on the counter she went to the thermostat. It was set for seventy-two but the current reading was below that at a balmy sixty-eight. Confused as to why the heat wasn't on, she picked up her cell and tried to call the landlord. It was busy and she hung up, reminding herself to call when she got to work.

Pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she sat down on the couch in the living room and turned on the television hoping to catch the news. However all she had was static. Now it was starting to bother her and she quickly set down the cereal on the end table and headed for the window. Throwing open the curtains, she saw nothing but white.

It had been a bumpy night in the airship and Sportacus now woke to the alarm from his airship. It wasn't the clock alarm, it was the alarm telling him that the ship had lost pressure in its balloons and the altitude was dropping. Quickly he maneuvered into the driver's seat and pressed the emergency floats button which should have released more gaseous state chemicals, which formed a non-explosive air mix, into the balloons from the tanks strapped in the hold. However it did not respond.

"Emergency floats unable to be engaged. Temperature in hold below freezing," the computer told him.

"Heater status?" He asked as the airship continued to lose altitude slowly.

"Nonresponsive," she answered.

"How long until we are too low?" The hero wanted to know.

"At this rate, we will be below the required elevation above LazyTown in two minutes," the computer barely got the words out of its mouth when a small explosion occurred inside the hold.

"Tanks have exploded, time to impact thirty seconds," she told him as the airship swung wildly down. Sportacus sprang into action and tried to slow the descent by pulling up. If he could get it to coast to the sports field, he could crash it without landing on any buildings. They weren't far and he hoped that they could make it.

"Reverse thrusters!" He ordered. They would not make the sports field without them.

"Nonresponsive. Explosion has destroyed the mechanism," the computer said. He looked out over the landscape and for the first time realized everything was cover in feet of snow.

"Crash in ten seconds. Assume the position," the computer ordered before it too went offline. Sportacus continued to try to pull up as the massive airship slammed face first into the large pile of snow on the roof of Town Hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Robbie awoke to the sound of something creaking and groaning. He rolled out of his bed, slipped his slippers on, and went to check it out but when he flicked the light switch nothing happened. He groaned and quickly grabbed a flashlight from his nightstand. Luckily it had good batteries in it and he used it to make his way to the generator. The gas guzzling device should have kicked on automatically when the power went out as he had just filled it with gas two days ago. The fact that it did not bothered him.

Heading for the back door of the Lair, which was on ground level, he activated the manual override handle and grabbed hold of it. The handle was freezing cold and he had a pretty good idea what was on the other side of the door so he stopped before trying to open it. He walked back through his home until he found his boots, jacket, and gloves. Quickly putting them on, he headed back to the door and tried to open it. It refused to budge and it was then that he realized that he could see his breath. If he didn't get that generator back up soon, he'd been found weeks from now, frozen to death. Quickly he headed back into the Lair and looked for the telephone.  Robbie was a big believer in letting technology take over but only in certain cases. He had been informed by the telephone company that he had the only rotary phone in all of LazyTown and they would provide him a free upgrade to a touch tone phone, if he wished. He had rejected the idea and promised to use his cell phone for all touch tone calls. The unfortunate matter of it was, with all the metal inside his home, the cell didn't work inside of it. Now he was very happy he hadn't given up the landline phone and quickly dialed the police.

"All available personnel are assisting other people at this time. Your wait time is ten minutes. If this is a dire emergency, call the fire department at five-five-five-zero-nine-one-one," the automated message came over the phone. Robbie rolled his eyes and hung up before calling the fire company. Luckily someone picked up there immediately and he quickly explained his situation.

"Most of the crews are out helping get Sportacus and the airship off of Town Hall. I can send a plow driver by and he may be able to dig out your doorway so that you can get to one of the warming shelters we've set up. There are massive power outages across both here and in FunTown," the fireman who answered the call explained.

"Sportacus crashed the airship onto Town Hall?" Robbie asked.

"It's a big disaster down there. There's still no word on his condition. All I know is, we're lucky we had so much snow because it put out the fire that erupted from the airship," the man told him.

"Send that plow driver as quickly as you can. I need to get down there," Robbie said before hanging up. He went to his room and quickly bundled in as much clothes as he could before heading around the house gathering supplies. He probably wasn't going to be back for a while and he knew that anything that couldn't be taken with would be ruined.

It wasn't long before he heard the horn on the plow truck and he attempted to open the back door. This time he found less resistance but he was still having trouble opening it.

"Hey buddy! You've got about two feet of snow piled in tight to this door. I'm going to hand shovel. You keep pushing and we'll get you out," the driver called.

"Will do!" Robbie answered. The two worked for the better part of an hour before Robbie was about to collapse. Finally with the last ounce of strength, his weak body had, the door popped open. The plow driver looked absolutely tired as well but he helped Robbie get his things into the truck and then they closed up the house.

"Why couldn't you go out the top?" The driver asked.

"That door can only be opened electronically or with the manual override on top of it. From the inside it would be hazardous to your health to try to open it," the former villain explained. The plow driver nodded and quickly headed off for the scene at Town Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

When they arrived at Town Hall, they found crews working furiously to try to find the above average hero. The firefighters used the ladder trucks to reach the parts of the airship which had landed on the roof. Town Hall's roof structure had been severely damaged and every minute they wasted the closer it got to collapsing. Everyone had been evacuated from inside and luckily the fire inside contained by the sprinklers, buying them some time.

"What the hell happened?" Robbie ran over to Chief Dooright and asked.

"We have no idea. One minute everything is fine and the next, we're buried in over ten feet of snow and Sportacus is crashing his airship," the Chief said.

"Lucky we have a good plowing crew but it looks like even they couldn't get the roads down to the pavement," Robbie said, realizing that he was probably standing on two or three feet of very hard packed down snow.

"Took us forever to dig out two of the fire trucks we have and every minute that passes I'm afraid that the building will collapse. We haven't found Sportacus," Dooright explained.

"That's because I wasn't here," Robbie smirked and pulled out one of the things he brought with him from the Lair. It looked like a mini-listening device with its dish-like receiver and gun-like grip complete with trigger.

"It's a portable energy seeking device. Should pick up Sportacus' crystal's energy signal," the former villain told him. Dooright shouted for a firefighter who quickly got Robbie over to the nearest ladder truck. They climbed up the ladder and Robbie put on the headphones that came with the device. Then he pulled the trigger and everyone watched in awe as a hologram of the area popped up in front of him. Everything looked blue in the hologram and he moved the device around hoping to get something that flashed red. The ladder was moved so he could sweep more of the area and suddenly he spotted something red but it wasn't in the shape of the crystal like he'd hoped.

"There's fire here! The airship fire is out but the building fire is not!" He shouted to the firefighter who had led him up the ladder.

"We can't get it out completely until we secure the building! We find Sportacus and then we worry about the fire!" he replied and then swung the ladder again to see if Robbie could get anything more and almost immediately the purple snowsuit wearing man shouted,

"Stop!" The ladder stilled and Robbie moved the device.

"There!" He pointed and quickly the other ladder truck moved towards them. Three firefighters climbed off the ladder of the other truck and onto the unsteady surface below them. Robbie was holding his breath as they tread as carefully as they could toward the hero.

"We have to lift the airship hulk somehow otherwise we're never going to get to him," one of the men said.

"No time. Use your axe," the man standing next to him ordered. Quickly they hacked at the broken steel frame and shredded material that once held the airship together. While doing this, none of them realized just how unsteady the surface beneath them was. The metal had grown cold and slippery in the frigid fifteen degree temperature and with the men moving and their weight, the metal had begun to crack and deform. The noise they made covered up the groaning of the metal which was being pushed deeper and deeper into the snow beneath it which had collected on one of the smaller roofs. That little roof could not take the weight and the trusses beneath it were slowly giving way.

"Get out of here!" Sportacus' voice could be heard suddenly beneath the wreckage.

"Not without you!" The leading firefighter shouted back.

"This whole thing is going to collapse! Get out!" The hero ordered. Just then before anyone could do anything the ground shifted beneath their feet and the smaller roof collapsed sending the four men downward.


	5. Chapter 5

"Holy shit!" Chief Dooright cursed as he watched in horror as the roof caved in, sending the three firefighters and Sportacus down into the building. Without thinking, most of the firefighters rushed inside, knowing that their comrades were in serious danger. The rest of the building could collapse and everyone would be lost.

"The structure isn't stable! Get them out of there!" Fire Chief Gallivan yelled to anyone who would listen. His men should not have gone in before the structure was checked. They knew better but the magnitude of what had just happened overtook their thoughts and their brains screamed for them to get in there.

"Belay that order! I want a perimeter set up! No one goes in!" Dooright boomed. What was needed now was control not chaos and he turned to Gallivan,

"Anybody else goes in there and we risk losing half the fire and police forces. Let your men do their jobs while we do what we can." He said before yelling up to the ladder trucks,

"Get someone to get a line on the wreckage! We need to lift it! Quickly the firefighters left the ladder trucks and rushed down to the two Chiefs who were trying to get everything organized.

"We need a crane to lift that and we have no access to one but what if someone was to climb down inside the rubble. We may be able to get at the trapped people that way," Lieutenant Barry Grant suggested.

"And have the rubble sink down further may be pulling that person in? No. Too many lives are already at stake," Gallivan shook his head.

"I have an idea!" Robbie suddenly shouted and before anyone could stop him he gave a long loud whistle. Suddenly the sound of dogs barking reached their ears and they all looked at him.

"What the…?" Dooright started as six of the mechanical monstrosities appeared.

"You were supposed to destroy those!" The Chief regained his composure.

"Just like you were supposed to destroy Rottenella but we all know that didn't happen," Robbie commented before turning to the dogs.

"Find Sportakook and the firefighters!" He ordered them and pointed toward the building. The dogs barked and took off for Town Hall. They entered the building and quickly put their enhanced mechanical sniffers to work. The firefighters looked at them, utterly confused until the lead dog clamped his powerful jaws around a piece of roof and crushed it to tiny pieces. He barked and quickly the men looked inside the small hole he'd created.

"There's Sportacus!" One of them shouted quickly the men began to dig the hero out while the dogs looked for the others trapped in the wreckage. Another bark resulted in another discovery. Soon the second man was free and more of the fire fighters left, carrying the severely injured men out of the building.

"Two more to go!" One of the men urged the dogs but they stopped. They dogs did not want to go any further.

"Why did they stop?" Another asked; his answer was they sound of the building groaning. Something else was letting go up in the upper structure. The lead dog pushed the men toward the exit while the other five worked to free the third man.

"You have to let us help," the firefighters kept urging but the lead dog would not let them pass, nipping at them when they tried.

Barks sounded and two of the dogs gently pulled the third man whom they had freed near the main exit to the building. At that point, the lead dog let the men in and they quickly removed their injured comrade. Now the dogs and the fourth man were all that was left inside the building and the robotic canines worked fast to find the last man as the second floor groaned. The fire, now exposed to the fresh air, had grown dramatically and the sprinkler system failed at the fifteen degree air hit the pipes and the pump in the basement had been destroyed when the floor above it collapsed.

The lead dog barked a command at the other dogs, seemingly knowing that their time was growing short. Then one of them barked, indicating they'd found the last firefighter. Quickly the group worked to free him as the building began to fill with smoke. Finally they grabbed him and as carefully and quickly as they could they removed him from the wreckage and made for the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone watched in horror as Town Hall collapsed sending dust clouds high into the air and sending debris everywhere. Quickly people moved away from the dust path, trying to keep from getting swallowed up by it. Others helped those that were wounded from getting their wounds full of dust and moved them back to the safety behind the police cars. Sirens could be heard in the distance, letting them know that ambulances were on their way.

"We may need to use a snow plow to get them here. They promised that they had a plow leading the way but they made need help anyway," Dooright said to Gallivan who immediately got on the radio and ordered any and all available plow drivers to the Town Hall.

"Has anyone seen my dogs?" Robbie asked. Just then a fireball erupted from the rubble and everyone jumped back.

"Get the gas shut off now!" Dooright ordered and someone was on the horn immediately to kill the gas supply as it now leaked into the atmosphere, teasing the already burning building.

"We could have a major explosion if someone just looks at that building funny," Gallivan said as his men rushed to get the flames under control. The fire lapped at whatever it could reach and if the fire could not be brought under control there would be a very large problem.

"The gas has been shut off but it will still be escaping the pipes until it runs out. We have a big problem though," Sergeant O'Leary alerted them.

"What could be worse than what we are dealing with right now?" Dooright asked.

"Since the meter was destroyed and there was no way to shut the individual building off, they've shut off gas down the pipeline that runs to it. It effectively has disconnected at least one hundred homes. They have no heat. We're looking at people freezing to death and pipes bursting. We could have a major utility issue within the next half hour," O'Leary said.

"What is the gas company doing about it?" Gallivan wanted to know.

"They need to get to the nearest manhole and put in a shut-off valve. The works will take at least an hour and that's after we find and dig out the manhole," the Sergeant explained.

"Jesus…" the Fire Chief shook his head.

"Get men to the affected homes. I want people removed from their homes and brought to the warming shelters," Dooright commanded.

"Yes sir!" O'Leary quickly left them and went to round up some men for the task. Then they heard,

"Bark!"

"That's one of my dogs!" Robbie was almost giddy. In all the excitement, the dogs and the third firefighter had almost been forgotten.

"Get someone with medical training over there!" Gallivan yelled as the six dogs carefully walked with the man on their backs. They had rescued him just in the nick of time and now the mechanical creations were struggling to get him help. Two of the dogs had lost a leg and their circuits were arcing which might have been the cause of the fireball when the gas line was ruptured. Others were barely moving; their electrical circuits damaged in some way. One dog was missing its bottom jaw.

"Boys! Come to Daddy!" Robbie called to them and a few let out happy barks as the injured firefighter was taken away by his fellow firefighters.

"Oh look what has happened to you," Robbie couldn't help but have tears in his eyes.

"Don't you worry, Daddy will fix you up," he promised. Then he heard a shout and turned to see a snowmobile charging up the street. Robbie swallowed hard as he could see the driver riding with a passenger wearing a pink snowsuit.


	7. Chapter 7

"What is going on?" Stephanie asked as she jumped off the snowmobile and removed her pink helmet.

"Chief, I think you're more qualified than I am to answer that," Robbie said shoving the unwanted duty of explaining what happened to Sportacus to her.

"What are those dogs doing here?" Pixel asked as he removed his helmet.

"They saved some people's bacon today and are in need of some serious repair," the former villain replied.

"Stop stalling Robbie," Stephanie grabbed the villain's coat and when she did one of the dogs growled. She immediately let him go.

"That's enough!" Chief Dooright ordered as he walked over to the group before continuing,

"I've got people who are going to freeze to death, three injured firefighters, Sportacus is in bad shape, and Town Hall has just collapsed. I don't need you three going at it!"

"What happened to Sportacus?!" Stephanie had a look in her eye that told the Chief he should have been more careful with how he spoke.

"The medics are working on him right now. We've got plows helping FunTown get ambulances here," he explained. The pink one's knees grew weak and Pixel grabbed her.

"How bad is it?" She asked.

"The airship crash landed on Town Hall. Robbie's dogs were able to find and free him along with the three firefighters. I need you, Pixel, Robbie, and those pooches to head somewhere warm. We've got a gas leak and the less chance of setting anything off the better," the Chief said.

"He's right. Poodle, take Pinky to your place. I need to get these boys somewhere safe until I can repair them," Robbie told the Gizmo Guy.

"On it. I'll come back for you and the boys. I have a sledge we can use to carry them," Pixel nodded and he tried to get Stephanie to head toward the snowmobile but she was resisting.

"I'll check on him Pinky, I promise," Robbie said and then she slowly let Pixel get her on their ride and he zoomed off back through the snow covered streets.

"Boys, stay here. Daddy will be right back," the former villain promised as he headed off to find Sportacus.

"I've got him stabilized but he really shouldn't be talking. He needs his strength," the medic explained when Robbie found where they'd been keeping the hero.

"I understand. How bad is it?" Robbie wanted to know.

"His legs were crushed so luckily they weren't his in the first place otherwise he'd be bleeding out right now. He's got some fractured ribs, a dislocated shoulder, lots of lacerations and bruises. He's going to need some serious down time," the medic told him.

"How are the firefighters?" The former villain asked.

"They are almost in the same boat. Broken ribs, bruises, cuts, at least one of them has a concussion. My biggest concern now is keeping them warm enough to prevent them freezing to death but not so warm that we can't stop the bleeding. Now I have to get back to work," the medic said.

"Carry on," Robbie gave a little salute and walked back over to where Pixel would be picking him up. It was going to be a long couple of days.

"This just in! Storm clouds are brewing to the south of LazyTown and FunTown carrying with them high winds and more precipitation. Snow fall totals have already reached ten feet in the area and there is a possibility of at least two more feet coming with this new storm. After last year's mild winter, Mother Nature is about to bring the pain. Back to you Stew." Amanda couldn't believe what she had just heard on the radio when Pixel came in through the front door with Stephanie. He didn't stop to explain, he just took off and his wife could see the look on her friend's face.

"What's happened?" She asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Hours passed and it seemed like an eternity. The sun had long disappeared, replaced by large dark snow clouds that brought with them wind and more snow. Visibility outside was down to practically nothing and Ziggy shook his head.

"Looks like we're here for the night," he said turning to the group who was enjoying their hot cocoa after dessert. Amanda had thrown dinner together for the group which now numbered ten. They were short one and it was blatantly obvious. No word had come from the hospital since about three in the afternoon and Stephanie had wanted to leave to be by her boyfriend's side but Milford had put his foot down. It was a good thing too as she would have been stuck there now.

"I appreciate bringing over what you could spare," Amanda said to Bessie, who was helping with the dishes.

"Well both Milford and I appreciate your husband coming to get us. Especially after what has happened," the busybody smiled.

"I don't know about anybody else but I could use something a little stiffer than hot cocoa," Trixie spoke up.

"I think we all could but we don't keep it around the house since we don't drink it," Pixel said, throwing in his coat and boots.

"Where are you going?" Stingy asked.

"Someone has to take Ransom out for his business and it isn't going to be my wife," the Gizmo Guy told him.  
"I love robotic dogs. They don't have to do any of that," Robbie smirked.

"How are they by the way?" Stephanie asked. She was mad at Robbie not destroying them when he was supposed to but now she was glad he'd kept them.

"I may have to terminate Frankie," he started bawling. Pixel shook his head, grabbed Ransom's leash, and opened the front door.

"Uh oh," he said. Everyone turned to see what was bothering him and they saw the snow piled up at the door.

"We got any newspapers around?" Pixel shouted into the kitchen as Amanda and Bessie exited the room.

"I'll get them but he hasn't used papers since before he came to us," she told him.

"Well he'd better remember how," he told her as he closed the door. The phone rang and Bessie quickly picked it up.

"Go for Bessie," she replied.

"This is Chief Dooright. Just checking in," he said.

"We're all safe here. How about you Chief?" She asked.

"Good. The gas leak was fixed just in time. We got heat back to people's homes but now they are stuck in warming shelters until this stuff passes," he told her.

"Better safe than sorry. With any luck we'll be able to dig out tomorrow," Bessie was optimistic.

"The governor has declared the entire county in a state of emergency. Help will be coming in but how long it will take to get here and what the weather brings tomorrow, who knows. Stay warm and get some sleep," Dooright suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. You do the same," Bessie replied before hanging up the phone. She quickly explained the situation to everyone.

"Times like these, I'm glad I'm retired," Milford smiled.

"Well since everyone is staying the night, we'll have to set up sleeping arrangements. Mr. Meanswell and Bessie get the guest room. Ziggy you can take the couch in the den. Stephanie, you can sleep with Roxie in her room. Trixie and Stingy get the pull out sofa here in the living room. Robbie, can you sleep in the recliner over there?" Amanda asked pointing to what was a nice leather recliner.

"Oh you have no idea how well I'll sleep in that thing," he smirked.

"Baby, that's my chair," Pixel said.

"Not tonight it isn't," she teased him.

"Well I think we'd better turn in. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," Milford suggested. Everyone agreed and Amanda went around getting blankets for everyone. Robbie pulled Pixel aside and asked,

"How is your wife handling the dogs?"

"She hasn't said anything to me. We have Ransom up in our room. I think we'll be fine. I appreciate you asking," Pixel said.

"I'd take them somewhere else if I could," Robbie said.

"It's cool. Let's just hope that they can shovel snow," the Gizmo Guy teased.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun shone brightly the next morning and the Gizmo household was busy with all ten people sharing two bathrooms. Amanda had been up early making breakfast and the smell that wafted down the hallways had made everyone's stomach growl.

"You know how much I love you right?" Pixel smiled as he went for the juice jug in the fridge.

"Oh I hope you love me a lot because if everyone is here tomorrow we're going to have to dig into our stash of frozen waffles," she smirked.

"Don't tell me things like that," her husband chuckled as he got Roxie to the kitchen table. Then he made sure they had all the places set and he then got Ransom his breakfast. The dog happily barked as the kibble was poured into his bowl.

"You being a good boy over there?" Amanda asked.

"Bark!" Was the response.

"I'll take that as a "yes"," she laughed. Slowly everyone filed into the kitchen, despite having showered, most were wearing the same clothes they'd slept in. In the rush to help out they had not gotten clothes from their places.

"All righty. We can't have everyone wearing stinky clothes, so before breakfast, Stephanie, Trixie, and Miss Busybody, up to my room. I'm sure I have something that will fit everybody. Pixel, be a dear and help the guys out," she smiled.

"I am not fitting into anything anyone has here," Robbie pointed out.

"Yes that will be an issue," Pixel said.

"Do you have some of your Dad's stuff?" Amanda asked.

"Maybe downstairs," the Gizmo Guy smiled slightly. Robbie turned to him and said,

"If you don't want me wearing it, I understand. I know your Dad meant a lot to you." Pixel shrugged it off.

"I can't wear it. I just haven't had the heart to do anything with it since he passed last year."

"Well as long as you're cool with it. I'm already asking a lot of you and your family," Robbie said. The Gizmo Guy was surprised at Robbie's statement. Not long ago, he'd been wreaking havoc on a daily basis; now he was apologizing. Pixel patted him on the shoulder and they headed downstairs.

After breakfast and with the washing machine humming along, the majority of the group popped on their snow gear and headed for the front door. Bessie and Milford promised to look after Roxie and Ransom and to keep the hot cocoa packets on standby.

"This is going to be fun," Robbie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Pixel was handing out the shovels he stashed in the coat closet when the phone rang and Bessie answered it. There were a lot of "uh huh's" and "yes, right away's" and everyone got a look on their faces that told them something bad was happening.

"The Chief says that with the weather last night that help from the state will be longer in coming and that there are roving bands of people on snowmobiles taking whatever they can find," Bessie explained.

"Lock this house up tight when we go outside. Don't let anybody in unless it's us," Pixel said.

"I'd better see about getting to Police Headquarters," Ziggy told them. Choruses of people telling Ziggy to be careful were followed by hugs. That's when they heard a loud roar outside, followed by shouting.

"Women and children to the back of the house!" Pixel ordered. The men stood tall and held the shovels on their shoulders, ready to strike when there was a knock on the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Sportacus awoke at the hospital looking around for anyone he knew. He was surprised to see no one there and he buzzed the nurse who came in practically right away.

"How long have I been out?" He asked.

"Almost eighteen hours. You have some fractured ribs; you dislocated your right shoulder and you look like you were in a fight with Edward Scissorhands," Nurse Rogers said.

"Rough night?" Sportacus wanted to know after her comment.

"Rough two days. With the roads practically impassable and no one able to make it in, I've worked eight hours, slept four, worked eight more, slept four… you get the idea. We're a tad short staffed and we're running on generator power until the utility company can get out here and fix it," she explained.

"Great Odin," he shook his head.

"Something like that. You take it easy and I'll see what we have for you to eat," she smiled slightly and left the room. _Stephanie must be stuck too. I need to help her_ , he thought to himself. Then he looked around and saw his mid-section wrapped up, his right arm in the sling, and Band-Aids everywhere. _Perhaps not. I hope everyone is ok_ , he thought.

Back in LazyTown, Pixel opened the door and was thankfully greeted by Sam and a few other officers. They had ridden up in their own police issue snowmobiles. The former Marine looked at the shovel-wielding men and raised an eyebrow.

"Expecting somebody else?" He asked.

"We got a call from the Chief," Pixel explained as they lowered their shovels and everyone who had run to the back of the house came out. He quickly let the officers in so they could warm up.

"Glad he called. We swung by to see if we could borrow Ziggy. That and we wondered if anybody needed anything," Sam said.

"Well we're going to need more food but I was hoping to dig out the snowmobile and head over to people's houses. Raid their pantries and get everybody back here safe," the Gizmo Guy told him.

"Sounds like a plan. You best be careful out there. Quite a few places are without power and they aren't exactly the best place to be for very long," Sam let them know.

"Well we're good with the generator for now. Thanks," Pixel smiled.

"We're off and running then. Come on Ziggy. With Sportacus out of commission we need you," the policeman said.

"How is Sportacus?" Stephanie asked.

"Doing well considering what happened although he will need a new set of legs," Sam told her.

"I'll get on that as soon as I can get back into my place," Robbie promised.

"Good to know," Sam smiled and the group took off with Ziggy.

"Well we best get to work," Pixel said. Everyone grabbed their shovels and headed outside.

"Where is the snowmobile?" Stingy asked.

"In the garage," Pixel pointed to the exposed little building across the driveway.

"Ugh. How much snow do you reckon we need to move?" Robbie wanted to know.

"If I can get the snowmobile and the sledge out then all we need is a ramp. Then I need two men volunteers to drive to Milford's place and Trixie and Stingy's place," Pixel said.

"Why only men?" Stephanie, Trixie, and Amanda asked at the same time.

"Because I'm handing out weapons and I need someone left behind to defend the home," the Gizmo Guy told them.

"Weapons?" Robbie asked, shocked he would have any weapons at all.

"Self-defense only purposes," Pixel said.


	11. Chapter 11

The group dug their way to the garage but it took the better portion of the day despite there being so many of them. Around three in the afternoon, Pixel was able to fire up the snowmobile and as soon as he did, he shut it off. He had enough gas for now but he was concerned about the generator's gas as well.

"You think we have enough?" Robbie asked as the two men stood out in the garage, freezing their butts off.

"I'm not sure. Problem is, is I don't know where we can get some more," Pixel said.

"Phone lines are down. No calling for backup," Stingy told them as he'd just left the house.

"Things are getting worse instead of better," Robbie shook his head.

"We have enough gas for the generator for two more days. After that we may need to evacuate," Pixel let them know.

"What about the snowmobile?" Stingy wanted to know.

"Milford says he has gas for his snow blower at his house. I suggested we go there and see if we can salvage it otherwise, we might be in trouble. I have enough to do what we talked about but not much more. In order to conserve gas, we're going to have to shut the vehicle down when we get to our destination," the Gizmo Guy explained.

"Stupid question. Should we siphon the gas from the four wheelers?" Robbie wondered.

"Negative. I won't have enough gas to evacuate everyone on the snowmobile once the generator cuts out. We'll need the four wheelers for transportation," Pixel shook his head.

"Perhaps we should evacuate the women and children first and then as men hold down the fort," Stingy said. Both Pixel and Robbie looked at him.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Pixel asked.

"I think he did," Robbie couldn't believe it either.

"Well I'm just thinking I don't want _my_ wife to freeze to death is all," Stingy said.

"Nice recovery," Robbie smirked.

"Well we'll have to ponder the thought. Darkness will be setting in soon. I've already instructed Amanda on what to do when it gets dark to protect us. With any luck, Bessie will have been able to help. Now I suggest we make a quick trip to the basement and then off to collect goods," Pixel switched them back to the topic at hand. Robbie and Stingy nodded and quickly followed him into the house and down to the basement.

There was a large safe and Pixel quickly entered the combination. When the door swung open both Stingy and Robbie's jaws hit the floor.

"Is this what I think it is?" Robbie asked.

"My grandpa was an avid hunter but he also believed in protecting yourself. He had some deep-seated trust issues with white people," Pixel said, pulling out three hunting rifles and three handguns before passing the men one of each.

"I'll say," Robbie expertly checked and loaded the rifle when Pixel handed out the ammunition.

"You've handled that before," Stingy swallowed hard, unsure if it was a good idea to give the former villain weapons.

"Long story my friend, definitely left for another time," Robbie said.

"Do you have enough for the ladies?" A voice from behind them made them turn to see Amanda standing there.

"Of course, babe. Left you the shotguns and the BB guns," Pixel smiled.

"Excellent. Now you three hurry off while I teach the girls how to use these things," she said.

"You got it," her husband gave her a quick kiss and the three were off.


	12. Chapter 12

They arrived at Milford's house, just as the sun dipped below some clouds. The wind had picked up and visibility was very poor.

"Stingy, guard the snowmobile. Robbie, with me," Pixel ordered. Before Stingy could object the two went to the man door which opened into the garage and cleared the doorknob. Using the key, they unlocked it and the door easily swung inward. Quickly the two slid in feet first into the garage.

"Can you raid the pantry while I look for the gas?" Pixel asked.

"On it," Robbie nodded, taking the house keys.

"Actual healthy food, if you can manage it," the Gizmo Guy called after him. Robbie waved his hand and continued walking into the house. Then Pixel searched the garage for anything useful. A snow blower would be handy but it would guzzle gas and they barely had enough to go around as it was. Shovels, flashlights, and batteries however would be very useful. He started piling things up near the man door when Robbie showed up back in the doorway.

"The heat has been off for a while. Pretty much the only things we can salvage are what's in the fridge and freezer," he said as he came out with bags full of food.

"Then that's what we'll take. It won't spoil on the sledge," Pixel told him.

"Find anything good out here?" Robbie asked, there was a hint of nervousness in his voice and the Gizmo Guy looked at him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm more concerned about the roving bands of savages that I saw up the street about a minute ago. They broke into a house up the block," the former villain said.

"Help me get everything on the sledge. We have to go," Pixel told him, not wanting a confrontation with people close to the end of their ropes. That's when they heard Stingy's rifle go off.

"We have to help him!" The Gizmo Guy shouted. The miser was in no way familiar with how to use the weapon as Pixel and Robbie were, so if he was firing there was a good reason. Quickly they left the goods behind and Robbie pushed the Gizmo Guy up over the snow pile and then Pixel pulled him up.

"What's going on?" Robbie asked.

"A warning shot to our friendly neighbors down there," Stingy pointed to the house up the block that Robbie had discussed. They looked to see the men who had climbed into the home's broken windows scrambling for their snowmobiles.

"Wow, maybe that worked," Pixel smirked.

"They won't stay away for long. Let's get the goods and get back to your place. We'll have to make another trip to Trixie and Stingy's," Robbie said, heading for the door before continuing.

"I'll hand stuff up, you load, and then we'll get out of here." It was settled and they worked quickly. Within twenty minutes, they loaded up the sledge and locked up Milford and Bessie's house.

"Let's go," Stingy said; his teeth chattering as he felt the cold seep into every part of his body. Pixel tried the snowmobile's ignition and it didn't start. He tried it again and nothing.

"Third time is the charm," he smirked as he finally got it to fire and they raced off over the snow toward safety. Only problem was, they didn't know just what they were getting themselves into exactly as they raced home.


	13. Chapter 13

Sportacus' crystal sounded and the above average hero tried to leap into action. The only problem was, was that he didn't have any legs. He fell out of bed ripping sensors off his chest and practically pulling the IV out of his arm which in turn caused every alarm at the nurses' desk to scream. Medical personnel came running upon the alarms going off and hearing the hero scream,

"Stephanie!"

"Sweet Jesus!" Nurse Rogers shouted as she tried to enter the room, only to find the hero had ripped out his IV the rest of the way and was crawling toward the door.

"Get him into bed!" She ordered and three other nurses helped her grab him and restrain him in bed before giving him a sedative.

"What happened in here?" A doctor asked as he entered the room and helped the nurses get things back in order.

"He had some sort of episode and starting screaming. I just hope he hasn't hurt his ribs or his shoulder any more than they already were," Nurse Rogers explained.

"Let's get him down to X-ray and make sure nothing got dislodged. How long will he be under that sedative?" He asked.

"Probably two hours," Rogers said.

"Good. I'll look him over when he wakes up. Let's make sure we have someone here when he does in case he tries to cause more trouble," the doctor told her. She nodded and decided that she should be the one to keep guard. All the while, no one knew what had caused the hero to go berserk.

Back in LazyTown, Pixel pulled up to the house and killed the engine of the snowmobile once they got it back into the garage. Robbie unloaded the gas and poured it into the tank of the vehicle.

"I'm freezing," Stingy said, rubbing his hands over his arms.

"I can't feel my feet. We're almost home," Robbie said. Both headed for the door of the garage but Pixel stopped them.

"I have to pee!" Stingy whined.

"You best hold it. Something is not right," Pixel said.

"What do you mean? The lights are on, beckoning us inside," Robbie said.

"Before we left, I told Amanda to kill the lights when it got dark and cover the windows to help keep the heat in and other people's beady little eyes out," the Gizmo Guy explained.

"You're wife doesn't seem like the forgetting type," the former villain said.

"Exactly," Pixel nodded.

"We can't go for help. We've pulled the vehicle into the garage," Stingy said.

"We probably have a hostage situation in there," Pixel told them.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but you're wife gave the ladies weapons. Shouldn't they have been able to handle themselves?" Robbie asked.

"Trixie, Stephanie, and Amanda for sure. Bessie and Milford?" Pixel looked at him.

"Point," Robbie shook his head.

"Stingy, I need you to get their attention," Pixel suddenly said.

"Why me?" The miser wanted to know.

"Because you can't hit the broadside of a barn with that thing anyway. Step outside the garage when I tell you to and fire two shots into the air. That will get their attention and hopefully we'll get some movement in the house. Robbie, we have security cameras located on the outside of the house. If we can tap into their network we may be able to turn them and look inside the house," Pixel said.

"Where's the box for the security system?" Robbie asked.

"Right here in the garage. The guy thought I was nuts putting it out here but I knew that we might need it someday," Pixel smirked as they headed to it and Stingy prepared to go outside.

"What made you think we'd need to be doing this someday?" Robbie wanted to know.

"The fact that you have two top-notch hackers living in the same house. One of these days I figured that would get us into trouble," the Gizmo Guy explained.

"Can't argue with that logic," the former villain smirked as they were able to detach the cables from the panel and attach them to Pixel's wrist device.

"I have control of the cameras. Stingy get out there," he ordered. The miser tried to whine but thought better of it and exited the garage firing two shots into the air. Pixel focused all the cameras surrounding the house and caught a glimpse of the situation.

"They have everyone tied up in the middle of the floor. I can see Ransom lying on top of Amanda. Stephanie is bawling her eyes out and it looks like they have the Mayor with a gun to his head. I count six guys in there," Pixel said.

"Pinky crying? Something isn't right with that. She's the toughest chick I know," Robbie didn't want to believe it.

"They are sending two guys to check things out. Take them out at the knees. We'll take their weapons and then we're going in," Pixel ordered.


	14. Chapter 14

Robbie fired two shots and both men who exited the home went down. The three rushed them and knocked them unconscious with the butts of their guns. Pixel and Robbie grabbed their weapons and made for the front door when a bullet whizzed over their heads. The three hit the deck. They were still halfway to the house and completely exposed.

"Shall we return fire?" Robbie asked.

"No. We miss and we hit somebody we didn't mean to hit," Pixel said. Stingy rolled over onto his back and aimed his weapon at the fence. He fired two more shots and this time they heard footsteps heading toward the door.

"Well done Stingy," Robbie smirked as two more men exited the house and quickly Pixel and Robbie took them down with shots to the lower legs. Again they knocked the men unconscious and grabbed their weapons.

"I think we need to split up. Those two left inside might start shooting hostages," Pixel said.

"Excellent thought. How do you want to do it?" Robbie asked.

"Stingy, go for help. Find anyone you can and try to get the police over here. We have wounded and we need assistance," Pixel started. The miser nodded and quickly took off running.

"Robbie would you like to go in the front door or the patio door?" The Gizmo Guy wanted to know.

"No offense but I think I'm a better shot than you. I best go in the front," Robbie replied.

"All right be careful. I'll go around to the patio," Pixel nodded as they quickly split the extra weapons between them before he headed for the patio door.

"Boy if I ever needed the Master of Mischief, Loki, it would be now," the former villain muttered as he quickly made it to the wall near the front door. Unsure if the door was where they were focusing their guns or on the hostages, Robbie slowly and carefully turned the doorknob. When the knob was back all the way, he flung the door open, using the butt of one of the hunting rifles he retrieved off the wounded men. No shots came and he was a little surprised by that.

"All right! If you two idiots want to come out with your hands up, nobody else has to die!" Robbie shouted trying to convince the two left inside that their buddies were dead. That's when he heard Pixel crashing through the patio door. The former villain rushed in, gun raised, ready for anything.

Stingy was in luck and did not have to travel far as someone had heard the shots and had come to investigate. The police were patrolling as best they could but it was tough as they did not have an adequate number of snowmobiles and were often forced to commandeer them from homes that had been abandoned for warming shelters.

"Stingy?" Officer Callahan asked as he pulled the snowmobile over; surprised to see the young man with a rifle.

"We need help at Pixel's place. Hostage situation with people wounded," the miser rushed and the police officer quickly radioed for backup while Stingy climbed onto the vehicle. Then Officer Callahan revved the engine and took off for the Gizmo household.

As they pulled up, in the distance, sirens could be heard. Someone had set off the firehouse siren, which was the alert for all available personnel to head in the direction of the radio call that had gone out over the radio.

"Help is on the way," Callahan smiled as he and Stingy dismounted. They quickly came upon the first pair of shot invaders and checked them over.

"They're still alive but we need to get them out of the weather. Get them into the garage," Callahan said. Stingy nodded and started to drag one of the men over to the building while Callahan approached the other two that were down. They were alive as well and he was about to drag one of them to the garage when he suddenly heard from inside the house,

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"


	15. Chapter 15

Officer Callahan didn't think twice about the situation and quickly entered the home shouting,

"LTPD! Drop your weapons!" Stingy heard him as he exited the garage and he quickly ran to aid the officer.

"I'm coming in!" Stingy announced so as to not get himself shot. He found a sight he could not explain and he almost gagged.

"I need assistance now! Any and all available personnel! I need medical!" Callahan was shouting into his radio with one hand and clamping a wound on Robbie's stomach with the other. Pixel was holding Roxie, trying to calm her down. Ransom stood up and barked, blood dripping from his belly. He refused to move from his position over his master. Stingy quickly collapsed next to Robbie and tried to help Officer Callahan.

"Ransom!" Stephanie snapped out of it and quickly as she could, crawled to over to him, dragging her left ankle behind her. She quickly found out, it wasn't his blood. Looking to her friend, Amanda, the woman's face was pale and she was barely breathing.

"I need help over here!" She shouted, crawling back to her friend. Trixie was the first one there and they both applied pressure to the wound located just inches below her chest.

"Oh God," Stephanie murmured. She could barely feel a heartbeat.

"Where are the paramedics?!" Pixel was shouting, now able to see the condition his wife was in. Bessie took Roxie from him and he rushed to Amanda's side, grabbing her limp right hand.

"They are on their way! I know they are!" Callahan promised, hoping to any God listening that they would get there soon. Just then he heard a motor pull up to the house and he shouted,

"In here!" Quickly the person outside rushed in and took stock of the situation before jumping to help Stephanie and Trixie first.

"What the ETA on that bus?" Officer Dubois shouted into his radio.

"Two minutes," the voice on the other end responded.

"We don't have it! I need two for transport now! One with a chest wound!" Dubois shouted.

"Medevac can't fly in this weather. We're doing all we can," the reply came back. Dubois shook his head. Luckily, the pressure given had slowed the initial bleeding but if they did not continue the pressure, Amanda would die within minutes.

"I need the dog," he ordered. Stephanie called to Ransom and he quickly moved back to the group.

"Lay down boy," Stephanie smiled and quickly the dog did as he had done before.

"He's a fantastic animal," Dubois smiled as he checked Amanda's pulse and breathing.

"He reduced her breathing, which reduced her heart rate. We are incredibly lucky she's in the good shape that she is," the officer continued.

"Stingy, get outside and direct the emergency personnel in. We don't need anybody else getting shot," Callahan said. The miser nodded and quickly headed outside.

"I'm not sure I can save him," Callahan called out after Stingy left. Robbie had just lost consciousness and too much blood was leaving the wound. Stephanie did her best to crawl over to them, her leg protesting the whole way. She quickly added her own hands to keep pressure on the wound.

"Why didn't you know that Amanda had been shot like that?" Callahan asked in a low tone. Tears started to form in Stephanie's eyes and she tried to cover her face by turning into her shoulder.

"What did they do to you?" He asked again. He never got a response as Stingy shouted to them that the ambulance was there.


	16. Chapter 16

The medical personnel quickly loaded those that were in critical condition into the ambulance. Those who remained with injuries would have to be ferried by the three plow trucks that arrived a few minutes later. Stephanie was helped up into the last plow truck as the wounded invaders had been loaded into the first two.

"You be careful now," Officer Callahan tried to smile to Stephanie who had seemingly fallen into a daze.

"This it?" The plow driver called.

"Yup! Get going!" Callahan ordered, sure that Stephanie needed more help than was immediately noticed. The plow truck took off and he returned to the scene. Pixel was firing up the snowmobile to follow them and the Officer stopped him.

"Listen, this is now a crime scene. Its extraordinary circumstances but you can't leave until we question you," he said.

"My wife is bleeding to death! My dog is being examined like a piece of evidence! My house is a crime scene!" Pixel was very obviously upset.

"We'll take your statement and then drive you over to the hospital. I promise but you shot people. It's protocol," Callahan explained. Pixel heaved a sigh and killed the engine. The Officer led him into the house and took his statement, took his weapons, and told him as of right now they would not be charging him with anything. However he should not leave LazyTown or FunTown or they would send out a warrant for his arrest.

"Can I go now?" Pixel wanted to know, realizing that this whole process had taken thirty minutes and that Amanda could be… he cut his thinking off there.

"Yes, we'll get someone to drive you. The snowmobile is part of a crime scene now," Callahan explained. Pixel was about to argue when he asked,

"What about Roxie and Ransom?"

"Ransom will have to come with us. He's evidence. Not to worry though, when they are done processing him then they will take him over to the shelter where Chief Dooright is staying. As for Roxie, perhaps it's best you leave her with Bessie? Everyone here, once their released from answering questions, will be sent to the closest shelter. We have to examine everything so no one can come back here for quite some time," Callahan told him.

"I'm not sure we'd be able to come back. If Amanda makes it through this… her symptoms were just getting under control," he seemed very defeated and the Officer gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Let's get you over to the hospital," he said. Callahan took him outside; they loaded up onto another officer's snowmobile, and took off for FunTown.

Meanwhile, back inside the house, the forensics team combed the home. They were able to get the security video coverage, so they already had a good idea what happened once Pixel, Stingy, and Robbie arrived at the scene but they didn't have any idea what happened in the between time. Trixie had been helpful explaining the situation but some of the details didn't match.

"I know we've been over this but you seem to be the only one able to answer questions right now," Officer Dubois said.

"Is Mr. Meanswell going to be ok?" Trixie asked.

"Milford had to be sedated. I think he'll need some therapy but he'll be all right," Dubois explained. Trixie nodded.

"Ok so let's run through this one more time," he started again.

"Amanda, Stephanie, Bessie, and I were making blackout curtains while Mr. Meanswell was playing with Roxie. We'd hoped to have the curtains done and up before dark. We decided to leave the upstairs lights off and close the curtains so we didn't have to make so many curtains," she paused.

"That was a good thought but why the curtains?" Dubois asked.

"Sam had told us about the roving bands of people looking for supplies. Pixel didn't want us to get robbed," Trixie said.

"Ok so that's why when the men left the house, everyone got a weapon," Dubois said.

"Yes. For protection just in case," she told him.

"Right. So you didn't get the curtains done?" He wondered.

"They must have been watching the house. The boys were gone maybe twenty minutes when they busted in. We didn't even have time to react, they had Mr. Meanswell and they said if we didn't do as they said, we'd be in big trouble," Trixie explained. That's when Sam busted into the house.

"Sam!" Trixie shouted and she quickly rushed over to him. It was uncharacteristic of her but given the situation not entirely uncalled for as she threw her arms around him, almost knocking her over. Stingy saw this and glared.

"I came as soon as I could. What happened?" He asked.

"You guys better get in here and take a look at this," one of the techs interrupted them.


	17. Chapter 17

The ominous words from the tech made the officers cringe. They followed him to the den and they looked at the pool of blood seeping into the carpet.

"What the...?" Sam asked completely confused as everyone had been evacuated to the hospital.

"I'm not sure who's this is just yet but whoever it was took a beating," the tech said. It was then that Trixie broke down. She'd obviously been holding onto something that she hadn't wanted to believe but now she had no choice.

"You know who this belongs to don't you?" Officer Dubois asked. She only nodded through her tears. They exited the room and sat her down on the couch.

"What happened?" Stingy left the officer he was talking to and rushed over to his wife upon seeing her upset.

"I need everybody to step back and give her some space. Trixie, we'll talk in private if that will make you feel better," Officer Dubois said. She nodded. He quickly led her into the kitchen and told everybody to clear out for a little while. They did as they were told and he made sure the door was shut.

"All right now tell me what happened," Officer Dubois said.

"One of them recognized Stephanie as Sportacus' fiancée and he blurted it out to the rest of the group," Trixie started and the officer cut her off.

"Where these guys not from around here?" He asked.

"I didn't recognize them with their ski masks on," she admitted.

"What happened after that?" The officer wanted to know.

"One of the other guys started panicking. He said it was bad enough to have Sportacus coming at them but to also have the former Mayor there would be even worse. The whole town would go berserk. The man who was leading them hit him upside the head and said that they had a job to do," Trixie said.

"What kind of job?" The officer asked.

"I have no idea but one of them grabbed Stephanie by the hair and pulled her next to him. She didn't cry out but Amanda stood up and demanded that they leave her alone. While the guy who had Stephanie, pulled her away, the guy standing nearest to Amanda, just shot her. He just shot her," Trixie started breaking down again and as the pieces fell into place, Officer Dubois knew this was not just some robbery gone awry. The men had been sent there to do a job.

"It's ok," he tried to comfort her but he was sure that she wasn't taking it well.

"We all sat quietly in the living room waiting to see what would happen. Mr. Meanswell tried to reason with them. He tried begging them to not hurt Stephanie but they didn't listen and said that if he didn't shut up he'd be dead," she paused and swallowed hard.

"We could hear what sounded like the man beating her and she was crying and pleading for him to stop. He wanted something from her and she either didn't know or refused to tell him. Then he brought her out of the room and he yelled at me to help clean her up. They forced us into the bathroom and that's when I realized that she was bleeding. Luckily they didn't watch us but I knew what had happened. He'd hit her so hard that she miscarried," the word left her mouth and she froze like no one was supposed to know. Officer Dubois just nodded. The pregnancy had been a secret and somehow either the men who came for her knew or it was an added bonus to their horrible scheme. Either way he needed to get down to the hospital and quick.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Stephanie was being looked at but she said nothing to the nurses or doctors and it concerned them. They did not have the information that Trixie had blurted to the officer and no one could understand why she refused to talk. Hopefully Sportacus would help but he had to be sedated again when he found out what had happened. Without his legs, the hero kept trying to walk. Luckily the prosthetics department was working on getting him some as Robbie was still in surgery. Things were such a flurry of activity that no one really paid attention to the man who had plunked himself in the waiting room with Pixel. The Gizmo Guy had still heard nothing about his wife and was slowly chewing all of his fingernails off. The whole time not realizing the man sitting across the room was eyeing him intently. Nor did he notice the how the man kept shifting his eyes around the room, memorizing every detail and looking for cameras. Pixel never realized the man as he plastered a smirk on his face.


	18. Chapter 18

A doctor walked into the waiting room and Pixel immediately stood up. He looked at Pixel and shook his head for a minute, not sure, if he was seeking out who had stood up.

"My wife?" Pixel asked, concerned at the man's confusion.

"No. I have another patient under my care but I do not see anyone here for him," the doctor said.

"Robbie?" Pixel wanted to know.

"Yes. Do you know him?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I do. He was injured by the same men who shot my wife," the Gizmo Guy explained.

"Then you'd best come with me. The person he asked for is not here," the doctor said, noting that there were only two people in the room and neither of them were female. Quickly, Pixel got up and followed out into hall where they could have a private conversation.

"How bad is it doctor?" Pixel asked.

"Robbie will make a full recovery but we did have to do a lot of internal work and he did lose a lot of blood. He'll be touch and go for the next few days. I'm just confused because he asked for Stephanie. There are no women in the waiting room. Do you know who he meant?" The doctor wanted to know.

"I do but she is being treated here at the hospital. Her ankle looked like it was broken," Pixel admitted. Suddenly Officer Dubois rushed up to the two men and asked,

"Where are the doctors treating Stephanie?"

"She's on a different floor. She didn't require surgery," Pixel said, confused as to why the man had come looking for her up here.

"She was brought up here, the nurse said," Dubois looked confused. The doctor shook his head and led the two men back to the nurses' desk where they could sort out this mess.

"Do you know where Stephanie is?" The doctor asked after explaining the situation to the nurse at the desk. She quickly punched in the girl's name and gave her location a few floors below.

"Where is Sportacus?" Dubois asked.

"Down the hall," the nurse pointed. The officer thanked her and took off. Pixel was more than intrigued but he wanted to know what had happened to Amanda and he asked the nurse if she had any information.

"She's still in surgery. Will you be following the officer? I can come and find you when she's out," she smiled.

"Yes, I will be. Thank you," Pixel smiled and quickly trotted off to find the officer. It didn't take long to figure out what room the hero was in as he noted that the therapist carrying a set of prosthetic legs had been forced to wait outside the room while the officer was inside. Quickly Pixel walked into the room, hoping for an explanation.

"I need you to think clearly for a minute and tell me if anybody would be coming after you. You had that accident with the airship and now Stephanie is targeted by a group of men, whom I believe were using the storm as cover. Robbie and Pixel killed two of them and wounded the others but no one is talking. Why would they beat Stephanie?" Dubois asked.

"I don't know. I have no idea why someone would want to hurt her. Is she all right?" Sportacus wanted to know.

"I'll let her discuss it with you. I know they had to fix her ankle," the officer told him, not wanting to tell Pixel what Trixie had told him.

"I need to go to her," the hero said.

"Whoa, slow down. You're in no condition to be leaving this bed. I will see about bringing her up here," Dubois smiled and stood. He grabbed Pixel and they walked out into the hall.

"Something is definitely fishy," Dubois shook his head.

"Robbie asked for Stephanie," Pixel blurted out.

"What?" The officer didn't understand.

"He asked for her, I have no idea why," the Gizmo Guy said.

"I might have an idea," Dubois shook his head but did not explain himself before heading for the elevators. As much as Pixel wanted to follow him, he knew he couldn't and he quickly went back to the nurses' desk to tell them he'd be in the waiting room. When he got back to the waiting room, he realized that he was alone and that the man he'd been sharing the room with was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

"Stephanie?" Officer Dubois entered her room to find her staring at the ceiling, her broken ankle in a cast. The pink one had cuts and scrapes and bruises that covered her exposed arms but he knew that beneath the hospital gown they were probably worse. She didn't even look at him when he closed the door behind him and walked over to her bedside.

"Trixie told me what happened," he started. Stephanie only blinked.

"She wanted to make sure you were ok. Who else knew about the baby?" Dubois asked. At the word "baby", Stephanie looked at him, tears were threatening to spill.

"Just Trixie, I was going to tell Sportacus but I never got the chance," she said, now the tears were coming and there was no stopping them.

"Why would Robbie ask for you then when he got out of surgery?" Dubois wanted to know. She just shook her head and continued to cry. He hated himself for pressing but he needed answers.

"It wasn't Robbie's baby was it?" The officer prepared for the slap across the face he figured was coming but it never came.

"We could have been so happy. Why? Why did they do that to me?" She asked. The officer wished he had an answer but he didn't. Not yet anyway.

"I promise that I intend to find out. Something very rotten is going on in LazyTown. Do you want to go see Sportacus? He's very worried about you," Dubois told her.

"I can't face him. I just can't," she shook her head.

"He will understand. He cares very much for you, you know that. This is something you shouldn't bottle up inside," the officer said. Stephanie just continued to shake her head and Dubois could only nod, understanding that this was not something she was ready to deal with on top of everything else.

"I told the nurses what happened. They have to check you out and make sure that you don't get an infection. I am truly sorry Stephanie," the officer gave her a slight smile and left the room so the nurses waiting outside could come in.

"We need to check you over Stephanie," Nurse Rogers said.

"Just leave me alone. Why can't people leave me alone?" Stephanie wanted to know. Nurse Rogers leaned over and whispered to another nurse to get a sedative and the psychiatrist there on the double.

"You could be in medical trouble; we need to check you out. Frankly, I'm surprised you've managed to be ok this long," the nurse said, trying to make her understand. Stephanie opened her mouth to object again but never got the chance as the second nurse gave her the sedative. Once she was out, the nurses got to work.

Meanwhile, Robbie was in a fog as the anesthesia wore off. The pain he expected to feel was just a dull ache thanks to the wonderful pain medication he was on. He looked around the room and noticed someone sitting in a chair next to the bed.

"Who…?" He never finished the sentence as the man stood up.

"You're a disgrace Robbie Rotten. You have the opportunity of a lifetime with Rottenella and you squandered it," the man said.

"Who are you?" Robbie finally sputtered out.

"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is that my face will be the last thing you ever see," the man smirked as he grabbed a pillow and shoved it over Robbie's face. Robbie tried to struggle but he was exhausted from the surgery and as he tried to move, pain spread throughout his body. He never heard the shouting of Officer Dubois or the nurses as the heart monitor played a singular tone,

"BBBBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEP!"


	20. Chapter 20

Pixel left the waiting room and headed toward the nurses' desk, hoping to ask if there was any news. He watched as the nurse left her station and went running toward the beeping sound, which was coming from down the hall. Afraid that it was Amanda, he raced down the hall after her.

Reaching the room, he saw Officer Dubois, handcuffing the man who had been in the waiting room with him. He also saw the nurses shouting and scrambling to get Robbie's heart working again. He couldn't believe his eyes as the Officer carted the man out into the hall.

"Pixel!" Dubois calling his name made him turn to the Officer and he helped him get the handcuffed man seated on the floor.

"Is this is man who shot my wife?" He asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is that he tried to kill Robbie," Dubois answered. There was an anger that was building inside of Pixel and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He kicked the seated man in the stomach and grabbed his shirt.

"My wife is fighting for her life and you dared to sit across from me as if you had no idea what was going on?" Pixel shouted. Officer Dubois grabbed him and pulled him back from the suspect.

"I know you're angry but he's our only lead. We need him and we don't want the case to fall apart because you beat the crap out of him," the policeman said. Pixel just shook his head and backed away. The beeping had stopped and he turned to see the nurses leaving Robbie's room.

"Could you save him?" Pixel asked.

"Luckily we were able to but he's going to be under sedation for a while. The struggle loosened his stitches and we'll have to patch him up," the nurse said.

"Any word on my wife?" The Gizmo Guy wanted to know. Just then the surgery doors opened and a bed surrounded by doctors and nurses was wheeled down toward them.

"I'll talk to the doctors and find out. In the meantime, head back to the waiting room," the nurse was firm. She'd had enough disruptions for one day. Officer Dubois grabbed him and told him to watch the prisoner while he called for backup. He made sure that he stayed within view of the two in order to make sure Pixel didn't do anything stupid.

"All right, backup is on the way. I'm going to question this guy. I want you keeping an eye on Robbie. The minute he comes out of sedation, I want you to call the station and I'll come back out and question him. There is something he's not telling me," Dubois ordered him. Pixel only nodded. The Officer gave a nod, explained the situation to the nurse, and the nurse then told Pixel to get down to the waiting room before she found a chair and glued his butt to it. With that Dubois took his prisoner down to the lobby.

Meanwhile, Sportacus was done being fit for new legs. He wanted to get out of bed and visit Stephanie but the nurses told him to stay in bed. She was talking with the doctor and the hero would have to wait until she was finished. Conveniently, when she was done, it was dinner time and after that, the nurses said, he'd have to wait until tomorrow. He was angry and confused. All he wanted to do was to see Stephanie. What had happened that the hospital staff kept deflecting? Was Stephanie in that bad of a shape and they just didn't want to tell him? He finally decided that come the morning, he would find out for himself what was going on and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him. He needed to know that she was ok and that his fears were unfounded. Unfortunately the next morning would prove to be quite the opposite of what he was hoping for.


	21. Chapter 21

"We have some warmer weather heading our way Bob and that is good news for LazyTown and FunTown as they continue to dig their way out of the massive system that dropped just a hair more than ten feet of snow on them."

"Not too warm I hope. Snow can be shoveled. Water…"

"Temps will be hovering around thirty five degrees Fahrenheit so no quick melting but some melting will occur as the sun struggles to push back those clouds,"

_"Well thank goodness for small favors. Thanks Sonny. Now onto the national news…"_ the morning news broadcast in the waiting room faded from Pixel's ears as the nurse entered the room.

"Pixel, Robbie is awake. I've put a call into Officer Dubois," she smiled.

"Great. How is my wife?" He asked.

"She's just coming around now. She's going to have to be in the ICU for the next week. The doctors had quite a bit of work to do in her chest cavity and on her spine," the nurse explained. Pixel could feel the vomit rise in his throat. He'd hardly eaten anything since everything had occurred but now he was sure that the tiny bit of food was going to come up.

"How bad is it?" He wanted to know.

"The bullet just missed her heart but it punctured her left lung which then collapsed and then it lodged itself into one of her vertebrae. Luckily the sternum slowed the bullet but they won't be able to tell if any paralysis occurred until after the swelling goes down," she told him.

"Paralysis?" Pixel asked.

"It is not uncommon when dealing with damage done to the vertebrae. Our spinal cord is very sensitive. Right now she has some temporary paralysis from the chest down but once the swelling goes down it should recede as they couldn't find any specific damage to the spinal cord. She is very lucky that the pressure was kept on her wounds. Not only did it slow the bleeding, which would have led to certain death, but it also compressed the damaged vertebrae. It wasn't allowed to swell to a dangerous level and they were able to control it with anti-inflammatory drugs," she spelled it out for him.

"Good God," he collapsed into the chair where he'd been sitting.

"Do you want to see her? She's been asking for you?" The nurse tried to get him to focus.

"Yes. Please take me to her," Pixel nodded and he left the chair. They strolled down the hall until they were met with the big ICU doors. She directed him to the nurses' station there and returned to her post.

Meanwhile, Sportacus was out of bed and against the advice of Nurse Rogers was heading toward Stephanie. He needed to know what was going on and he wanted to let her know that whatever it was they'd work through it.

"Stephanie?" He opened the door cautiously and upon seeing her staring vacantly at the ceiling, he immediately grew concerned.

"Stephanie?" He tried again but she still did not respond. Taking a seat in the chair next to the bed, he reached for her hand. She tried to pull away but his above average grip didn't let her.

"Talk to me. They won't tell me what happened," the hero wanted so much to hear her say something but all she did was shake her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

"No matter what has happened, I don't love you any less. We can get through this together, whatever it is. We battled back from my legs and we can battle back from this. I know we can," he said to her. Finally she looked at him, her eyes red, tears ran down old tear stains on her cheeks.

"Whoever did this, I will make them pay," he promised her. The look on his face brought little comfort but she knew that he would never rest until the men were brought to justice and that he would continue to ask her what had happened until she answered.

"They killed our baby," she finally croaked out as more tears streamed down her face. Sportacus left his seat and climbed into bed next to her and held her as they both cried.


	22. Chapter 22

"All right now you're going to tell me what I want to know and you're going to do it quick," Officer Dubois said to the man sitting across from him in the interrogation room.

"Why would I do that?" The man wanted to know.

"Because your fingerprints don't pop in the system and your face hasn't been found in any facial recognition database that I have access to. I've sent everything to the FBI but if you talk now, maybe we leave the Feds out of this," Dubois told him.

"You think I'm scared of the Feds?" The man smirked.

"Maybe not but considering you and your buddies almost killed 2 people and beat the hell out of the former Mayor's niece, you are looking at serious time," the Officer said. The man didn't seem moved so he tried a different tack.

"Then there's the tampering with Sportacus' airship and the destruction of Town Hall. Not to mention the injured firefighters. Yes sir, you are in it deep. And the beauty of it is, is that I can lock up you and your buddies at the hospital and charge you all as conspirators which means you all go down for the same crimes, which would also include the kidnapping of everyone at Pixel's house. So the question is, is do you want to go down for all of it or only some of it?" Dubois asked.

"What makes you think that I'll go down for any of it?" The man smirked. His coolness to the subject being spoken about seemed highly irregular and the fact that they had him on camera for at least trying to kill Robbie made it even weirder.

"I have you on tape, attempting to kill Robbie Rotten," Dubois pointed out. The man continued to smirk and then he did the one thing he knew he would have to do since the beginning of the mission. He bit down hard on the fake tooth in the back of his mouth and he laughed at Officer Dubois until he collapsed. The Officer quickly called for medical help but it was no use. The one good lead they had died right there in the interrogation room.

"It seems that our plan has not worked. Our operatives report that Robbie is still alive and that three of their cohorts are dead," one man at the left end of the semicircular table in a large room that was empty except for those at the table. He was wearing a long flowing black robe and he sat at a solid, dark oak table in a dark oak chair with red seat cushion.

"What about the others?" The man sitting next to him asked.

"In the hospital, under arrest," the first man admitted.

"So what do we do?" The third man wanted to know.

"Do what we always do," the fourth man smirked.

"Send more?" The fifth man chuckled.

"No, we send in the big guns. This Sportacus is harder to deal with but now that he and his girlfriend are in pain, a little push and one of them won't be coming back from the precipice," the fourth man said.

"Call in the big guns," the third man smirked.

"After all, we wouldn't be The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness if we didn't," the first man smirked.

"Very true," the second man pressed a button in front of him and from beneath a red phone slowly rose to the table top. He picked up the receiver and the phone rang twice before someone picked up on the other end.

"Send in the android squad. Get Rottenella," he smirked.


	23. Chapter 23

Officer Dubois sat at his desk, not sure where to go next. He was about to call the FBI about what had just happened in his interrogation room when he got a call back saying that they were sending a team down from the capital and that they would brief him when they got there. They told him that he should keep the men he'd already arrested in custody but that he should have the fake tooth which contained the poison extracted from the men that were still alive. That being said, they hoped to be there as soon as they could. FunTown International Airport was still not letting anyone in or out and the nearest airport was two towns over in DownTown and from there it was a snowmobile or snow plow ride to LazyTown. He was looking at two days of sitting on his thumbs which he did not like. However if they knew better, then perhaps it was best to wait. Still he wanted to speak to Sportacus and Robbie about the whole thing. So he called the hospital, got his gear on, and got on the move.

Pixel sat in his wife's room, hoping that she would wake up soon. The sound of what was possible, just made him ache to find out it wasn't true. She'd fallen asleep after seeing him only for a few minutes, completely exhausted by everything she'd been through. Now as morning drew near he was hoping that things would be better.

"How's it going in here?" A nurse asked, breaking his train of thought.

"Well she's been sleeping quite well but I haven't been able to tell her what happened," he admitted.

"Well when the time comes, we'll worry about it. Right now she needs rest and to know everything is all right. Bessie called and said that your daughter misses you terribly but that Ransom is keeping her occupied," the nurse told him.

"That dog is the only reason Amanda is still alive. There will never be enough I can do for him," Pixel shook his head.

"That's what makes dogs great. Just love him," she smiled.

"This is true," he smiled back as she left the room and headed over to Robbie's room. The former villain was awake and doing well considering the recent events and he chatted with the nurse as she made sure everything looked good.

"How much longer do I need to be here?" He asked.

"Oh at least a week to ten days. You had some serious damage done," she half smiled.

"Yippy," Robbie groaned before asking, "is everyone ok?"

"Well one was seriously injured and another is stable. Although I must admit that everyone is going to need some psychiatric help when this is all over," she shook her head.

"Oh boy," he murmured.

"Oh boy is right. We need to talk," Officer Dubois was standing in the doorway. He'd been able to pry Sportacus away from Stephanie. They'd spent the entire night together in each other's arms and though they had discussed everything at Stephanie's willingness, he was sure that she would need more help than he could give her. He had convinced her that talking to the hospital's psychiatrist was a good way to start the healing process and that if she wanted him there for her sessions, he would do whatever it took to be there, even if it meant defying the nurse's orders. He tried to be strong for her but it was killing him on the inside and he didn't know what to do.

"I'm guessing by that look on Sportadork's face, we've got big problems," Robbie said.

"FBI caliber problems," Dubois told him.

"FBI? You mean those crazies weren't local?" Robbie couldn't believe it.

"No, they weren't. Apparently the FBI thought it best to come here in person and explain, rather than doing it over the phone," the officer said.

"Then what do you need me for?" Sportacus asked. It was uncharacteristic of him and Robbie figured it had something to do with Stephanie.

"I know you want to get back to Stephanie but I'm in over my head and once the FBI gets here, none of us will be able to do anything about what happens. You want to catch the guy that did those things to Stephanie or do you want someone else to?" Dubois wanted to know.

"First of all, what happened to Pinky? And second of all, what about those guys Pixel and I took out? No one is talking?" Robbie asked.

"It's a long story," Sportacus said, surprising everyone there by sitting down. The man never stood still, never mind sat down.

"Well tell me everything and don't leave anything out. I want these guys as much as you do," Robbie told him. Slowly and carefully, Sportacus started where Robbie's consciousness left off. He stopped and held his emotions in until he got to the last part.

"She was going to tell me that morning my airship crashed. She'd taken a test and it had proved positive. She feels like it's her fault for not telling me before…" he broke down. Robbie reached out to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, and said,

"We're going to get these bastards if it is the last thing that I do."


	24. Chapter 24

Meanwhile at the LazyTown lockup, the guards were keeping an eye on their only prisoner. All the humans who had caused trouble had been sent to FunTown but Rottenella remained. It wasn't safe to move her without the proper trucks and back up and that wasn't happening until the snow melted. Chief Dooright wasn't taking any chances despite the power being out and the backup generator running low on gas. Worst came to worst, the men could leave her there to freeze and they'd thaw her out later.

"Why don't you boys just shut me down and leave me here?" Rottenella asked.

"Well the Chief and the Courts are still trying to figure out what to do with you so until that time, you're someone to look after in our cells," the guard replied.

"So you guys can freeze your backsides off and that's no problem?" She wondered. The backup generator was only running the lights and the auxiliary heat so the pipes didn't freeze. It was certainly not tropical weather at a balmy forty-five degrees inside and only twenty-five outside.

"It's the job," he replied. Just as he said so, the power went out. He turned his flashlight on that was attached to his nine millimeter standard issue handgun and asked,

"Jimmy, can you go out and see if she's finally out of gas?"

"You got it Sarge," Jimmy smiled and took off for the doorway to the boiler room. From inside the boiler room, he could access the generator by exiting through a path that had been shoveled from the building to the enclosure. The generator had been keeping the snow off of the enclosure due to its hot exhaust and if it wasn't going to turn back on, then they needed to get out. The wind was causing the snow to drift and soon the enclosure would need to be shoveled off if they hoped to get it running again.

Jimmy got into the boiler room and first walked over to the doorway to find it slightly ajar. He had a bad feeling about it but knowing that the Sergeant had to guard the prisoner, he continued outside to the generator enclosure. Once inside the metal building, he used his flashlight to check the fuel gauge. They were low but not low enough for it to shut off. He moved to the electrical panel and found that the breaker had been destroyed with what appeared to be a hammer.

"Damn," he cursed under his breath and headed back toward the boiler room as quickly as he could. Whoever was out there had just destroyed their only hope of keeping warm and had intentions for the people inside the building. After exiting the enclosure, he headed to the boiler room door to find it shut and locked. He fumbled for his keys and tried the lock but could not get it open. Reaching for his radio, he tried to raise the Sergeant but got no response.

"This is two-five Charlie. I need back up immediately at the town lockup. Someone has broken the generator and I can't get back into the building," he shouted into the radio over the wind which had picked up to twenty miles an hour.

"Repeat that two-five Charlie," a voice said.

"This is two-five Charlie, requesting immediate assistance to town lockup. We've got intruders and the Sergeant is not responding," Jimmy said again.

"Sending trucks over now, two-five Charlie. Where are you now?" The radio dispatcher asked.

"By the boiler room door," Jimmy responded.

"Hold tight. Back up is on its way," the dispatcher told him. They weren't kidding as within a few minutes the first snowmobile showed up. The two men worked furiously to get the boiler room door open but it was to no avail. When the second and third men showed up they looked for another way in and decided that they were going to have to use the door. The drop from the windows was fifteen feet and more than likely they would break bones on the way down. It took all four of them to bust the door in and rush to find the Sergeant. When they got to him, he was unconscious and bleeding from a nasty gash on his forehead. They then checked for the prisoner and found that Rottenella was nowhere to be seen.

"Call the Chief! We got a big problem," Jimmy said.


	25. Chapter 25

"Officer Dubois?" A nurse asked as she poked her head into Robbie's room.

"Yes?" He asked.

"You have a phone call from Chief Dooright," she told him. The Officer quickly excused himself and went to answer the phone. He was hoping it was the FBI but the news he got wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"Robbie is still here and still in relatively good spirits. This is going to kill him," Dubois shook his head despite the Chief not being able to see him.

"Well we have to assume whoever tried to kill Stephanie thought she knew where Rottenella was. My guess is whoever they are, they are heading your way," Dooright told him.

"I'll prepare the troops. Can I expect any back up?" The Officer wanted to know.

"I'm alerting FunTown Police when I get off the phone with you. Good luck," and with that the Chief hung up. Dubois handed the receiver back to the nurse and told her to get security up to them on the double. Then he went back into Robbie's room.

"We've got trouble," he said.

"Right here in River City?" Robbie teased but soon realized that the Officer wasn't joking.

"What's going on?" Sportacus asked, wondering why his crystal hadn't alerted him to any danger.

"Someone busted Rottenella out of jail and gave a Sergeant a nasty gash and concussion. The Chief figures that, whoever it is, is on their way here now," Dubois explained.

"Stephanie," Sportacus murmured before taking off down the hall.

"Well it looks like my days of lying around are over. Help me up," Robbie said.

"Are you crazy? These same people just tried to kill you. You're in no condition to be walking around," Dubois pointed out.

"I'm not letting anyone else get hurt by that crazy android. I should have just destroyed her after the cops didn't," Robbie told him as he carefully tried to get out of bed on his own.

"Oh no. You're staying here. I'll keep an eye on you and spread the security around to everyone," the Officer pushed him back into the bed.

"Then you have to help. The best way to stop Rottenella is with an EMP but if we do that everyone on live saving equipment dies. We need to improvise," Robbie told him.

"The best way to stop her is by shooting her. You have to get too close with anything other than an EMP," Dubois said.

"Just the same. Get me a defibrillator and Pixel," the former villain instructed him. Dubois shook his head and looked out into the hallway. Security had arrived and he quickly gave them their room assignments and told them to bring Pixel to him. The men scattered and the Officer as the nurse for a crash cart.

"What are you going to do with it?" She asked as she found one and wheeled it over to him.

"That is something only Robbie knows. Get in touch with FunTown police. Tell them Officer Dubois from LTPD wants to know how long it will take for back up to get here," he told her. She nodded and quickly placed the call as he wheeled the apparatus down the hall. Pixel followed a few minutes later.

"You think we can change the frequency on this thing? I only need her to get close and then I can zap her," Robbie asked.

"Well even if you can zap her, you need it on a constant charge otherwise you'll need two people to operate it," Pixel pointed out.

"We need to get a move on. We have no idea when they are coming," Dubois pointed out. Pixel whipped out his wrist computer and scanned the device.

"I think I may have an idea," he said.

"Then let's get to work," Robbie told him.


	26. Chapter 26

Sportacus sat near Stephanie's bed, looking at her, and the hollow look on her face. He had no words of comfort to offer and no idea what to do. They both were in pain and he wished that he could just hold her like he had when she'd scraped her knee or bashed her funny bone. This of course was not going to fix anything but it would make some of the pain dull.

A soft knock disrupted his thoughts and he got up and went to the door. Nurse Rogers was standing outside the room and he quickly left the room to speak to her outside, the door did not latch properly as they went.

"You really should be resting," she said to him in a low tone.

"I can't leave her. We just got word that whoever hurt her is probably coming back and bringing Rottenella. She's in danger and I can't let anything else happen to her. I've already let her down, once, I cannot do it again," Sportacus told her.

"So you think a bunch of crazy people are going to fight their way here with limited chance of escape just to get Stephanie?" Nurse Rogers was confused.

"Long story and I promise to fill you in later but right now we need to be super vigilant and prepared for anything," he said.

"All right. If you're bound and determined to stay here with her, then you need to take in some nutrition. I'll have your food delivered here. Now how is she?" The nurse wanted to know.

"She barely says anything to me. I don't know if she's in pain over the loss or mad at me for not being there or what is going on. I'm supposed to be a hero and I couldn't even do my job," the above average hero leaned heavily on the wall.

"Hey you couldn't do your job because some crazies tried to kill you. No one knew that, otherwise they would have sent protection for Stephanie," the nurse told him. Sportacus just shook his head.

"She needs you to keep your eye on the ball. She's very fragile right now. Everyone handles what happens to them in different ways and Stephanie needs you to be strong. I know that you are the strongest man physically but that won't help you get through this. She needs you emotionally," Nurse Rogers pointed out.

"I know what she needs. I can't give it to her. I don't know what to say or do. No matter what I say, it's just words. We lost our child and all I can do is say that it's going to be ok, when I know damn well it isn't. I love Stephanie and I want to be her everything and right now I'm a terrible failure. I wasn't there to stop those men and I can't do anything to take the pain away. I would do anything for her, I just…" he buried his head in his hands and heaved a sigh.

"Maggi…" her voice was small but his above average ears didn't miss it. He quickly left the nurse and ran to her side. Carefully he took her hand in his and kissed her forehead.

"I love you…" the words were small and quiet but they were there.

"I love you," he said. She gripped his hand a little harder. The moment was something they needed but that's also when his crystal screamed for his attention.


	27. Chapter 27

Sportacus cursed under his breath and knew what was coming. He apologized and left Stephanie and headed out into the hall. Looking both ways, he spotted two security personnel and called for them to come over.

"You stay with her and you don't leave unless you're dead. Got it?" He looked at them and they immediately knew he was serious.

"Yes, sir," they nodded. The hero nodded and headed down the hall toward Robbie's room.

"You guys ready?" Sportacus asked as he entered the room and saw Pixel still fiddling with the defibrillator.

"Not exactly," the Gizmo Guy admitted.

"Well you're out of time," the hero pointed to his crystal which wasn't blaring anymore but it was glowing.

"Shit," Robbie cursed as he tried to help Pixel finish up.

"Language," Officer Dubois shook his head, trying to lighten the mood, knowing that it wasn't going to be a good time coming.

"Crap," Robbie smirked and yanked the defibrillator from the Gizmo Guy.

"Well I hope we're ready. Everybody get into position. Remember, do not confront Rottenella. I have no way of knowing who these guys are and what they did to her," the former villain pointed out.

"Right," Officer Dubois nodded and quickly went out into the hall to stand guard. Sportacus returned to Stephanie and Pixel found a hiding place in Robbie's closet. They had no idea how long they would have to wait but they knew that it wouldn't be long as the crystal would not have signaled danger.

In the lobby, Rottenella walked in with ease. Her new disguise, courtesy of The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness, worked like a charm as she asked what room Robbie Rotten was in. The receptionist played it cool, knowing that this was coming and directed her to the right floor. As soon as the android went for the stairs (the elevators were for only use in an emergency since they were on the generator), she called up to the nurses' desk on Robbie's floor. The nurse signaled Officer Dubois and he radioed for all security personnel to make themselves scarce. He didn't want to tip off the android and the men quickly went for empty beds and made it look like they were patients. None of the FunTown backup had arrived and Dubois hoped they had enough personnel to handle the situation.

Just then the stairwell door opened and the game was afoot. Rottenella looked around and noted the halls were empty. She figured as much since the entire town was in a state of emergency and she casually approached the nurses' desk.

"Robbie Rotten please," she smiled sweetly.

"They let you in for visiting hours?" The nurse asked, trying to delay her.

"Well not exactly," Rottenella flashed a badge that looked like FBI.

"Oh I see. Well hopefully he's conscious for you," she smiled sweetly and pointed her in the right direction. The receptionist had not mentioned the badge and the nurse wondered if she didn't ask since only the people in the tight little circle from LazyTown and hospital personnel knew Robbie was here.

"Thanks," Rottenella smiled back and headed for Robbie's room. There she met Officer Dubois.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Jane Smith, FBI," she flashed her badge and the Officer took a quick look at it.

"I've been expecting the FBI. They didn't tell me that you were already here," Dubois said.

"Well not everybody got here at the same time. The storm has really messed things up," she kept cool.

"Well come on then," he led the way into Robbie's room. The villain was sitting up and he looked at the two who walked into the room.

"Officer Dubois, how can I sleep if you keep interrupting me?" Robbie wanted to know.

"FBI is here," he smiled.

"Oh well that's different," Robbie said. He extended his hand and Rottenella took it. In an instant, large volts of electricity passed through the buzzer in his hand to the android. She violently shook and the smell of burning wires entered everyone's nostrils.

"Pixel! Her batteries!" Robbie shouted. The Gizmo Guy exited the closet and went for the battery pack location as the android collapsed to the ground.

"You smell that?" Robbie asked.

"Fire!" Officer Dubois shouted.


	28. Chapter 28

Sportacus came charging into the room, his crystal was blaring this time and he was quickly followed by the nurse who held a fire extinguisher. They had no need for it as the sprinkler system detected smoke and began dousing everyone in the room.

"The electricity!" Pixel shouted as he threw Rottenella's batteries away from himself and tried to help Robbie out of his contraption. Sportacus saw the problem, pushed Pixel out of the way, and quickly yanked the instrument away from Robbie but not before receiving a shock of his own. The nurse called maintenance and told them to kill the alarm and the system as the entire building was being doused with water. Then she turned to Sportacus who wasn't moving. The electrical charge from the defibrillator had stopped his heart.

"Sweet Mother!" Officer Dubois shouted as he pulled Rottenella off of Robbie and checked to see if he was ok. Moments later the water stopped flowing and the phone rang. The nurse was otherwise occupied with Sportacus and Pixel grabbed the room's phone.

"The water is off but the fire company is coming to reset the system and check everything out," the man on the other end of the line said assuming he was talking to the nurse.

"Thanks!" Pixel responded and quickly hung up. He turned his attention back to the nurse who was performing chest compressions on the hero. They didn't seem to be working and she screamed for assistance and a working crash cart.

"Help me get him out of the water," the nurse instructed. Quickly, Pixel and the police officer grabbed the above average hero and they lifted him up off the floor.

"How bad is it?" Dubois asked as they moved out into the hallway. The nurse called for a gurney before answering and they were quickly assisted by the other staff. Then they worked to get his heart started again with a new crash cart. Soon they got a pulse and the nurse told her colleagues to get a doctor as quickly as possible. As they left, Officer Dubois helped her move the gurney next to the corridor wall.

"Well he's alive but I need to check his extremities. We could be dealing with electrocution more than just the shock from the altered defibrillator," she admitted before removing the unconscious hero's prosthetic legs. They had been damaged by the shock and seemed to have absorbed it but the skin at the amputation site was red and very inflamed.

"He needs pain medication and probably an MRI or a CAT scan to make sure there isn't any internal tissue damage in his legs," the nurse explained.

"What's going on?" a doctor approached and quickly explained the situation. While they took a look at the hero, Pixel went to check on Amanda and Officer Dubois headed back into Robbie's room. The nurses were disconnecting him from the machines he had been plugged into and getting him out of his wet bed and into a wheelchair.

"How is he?" Robbie asked.

"I think he'll be fine but he's in a lot of pain," Dubois admitted.

"Well we got Rottenella but that can't be the end of it. Something else is going on. Get that android out of the building and over to the Bomb Squad. They could have laced her with something and the minute the shock wears off we could be in trouble," Robbie said.

"She can't run without her batteries," the officer pointed out.

"She doesn't need to if she's rigged to blow. Just get her out of the building," Robbie put his foot down. Quickly Dubois scooped up the android and broke into a run for the stairs.


	29. Chapter 29

Stephanie heard all the commotion and immediately grew concerned, especially when the sprinklers went off. She was even more concerned when Officer Dubois ran by her room carrying the android. Knowing that Sportacus had rushed off in the direction of where the Officer had left, she grabbed her button and pushed it. When no one answered, she tried her phone. To her dismay, no one answered at the nurses' desk either.

"Screw it," she muttered to herself. Slowly and carefully she tried to get out of bed. Her bruised body ached something terrible but she ignored it as best she could. Managing to limp over to the wheelchair that they left for transporting her to the bathroom, the pink one sat down heavily. Tears threatened to prick her eyes and she shook her head, trying to get them to go away.

"Grow a pair, Pinky," she muttered again and began wheeling herself to the doorway. It hurt to move her arms but she knew she had to find out what was going on. Bare minimum her cast needed to be checked after getting wet and after getting no help, she knew something very bad was going on.

"Where do you think you're going?" A security officer asked, concerned to see the woman out of bed.

"What happened down the hall?" She asked.

"Well we have everything under control for the moment but you're probably safer in your room," he told her.

"My cast got wet," it was an excuse but a legitimate one.

"Oh yeah those sprinklers will do that. I'll get you some help," the man smiled as he went behind her wheelchair. She picked up her unbroken foot and placed it on the pedals.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"No problem. My name is Bob by the way," he said.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Stephanie," the pink one told him.

"Sportacus's Stephanie?" He asked.

"Yes…" she grew concerned about his questioning.

"Then we need to get you to the nurses right away," he picked up the pace to the desk where they found Nurse Rogers sitting there.

"Goodness gracious, you are soaked," she shook her head.

"Where is Sportacus?" Stephanie cut right to the chase.

"He's being looked at by the doctors. He helped Robbie and Pixel disarm Rottenella but he got a bit of a shock," Rogers didn't tell her the whole truth but figured at this point, she didn't need it.

"Can I see him?" She asked.

"As soon as I can get your cast all checked out, I don't see why not. The threat seems to have been eliminated," just as the nurse said that there was a loud explosion outside.

"Then again, what do I know?" Rogers asked as they all looked at each other.

"Good God, Officer Dubois…" Bob's voice barely left his mouth, his words only a whisper before he was off like a shot down the hallway.

"Let's get you into Robbie's room for the minute," the nurse said. Stephanie nodded, hoping that everyone was all right.

"Pinky! You're alive!" Robbie's whole face lit up when he saw her.

"Something just exploded outside and they won't tell me what is going on with Sportacus," she started the conversation right at the heart of the matter.

"I knew it. They must have rigged Rottenella to blow. The ensuing chaos will allow for them to slip into the hospital unnoticed," Robbie told her.

"Who is going to slip in? What are you talking about?" She asked.

"They are coming for me and they'll be coming for Sportacus. Get yourself into my bathroom and lock the door," the former villain ordered.


	30. Chapter 30

The glass in the hospital's atrium blew inwards in thousands, millions of pieces. Anyone near enough to the windows found glass embedded deeply in their skin and that the concussion disoriented them. The cold winter air rushed inside the building and those who were not wearing warm clothes found themselves on the verge of going into shock. Between the blood loss and the temperature shock, the staff that was unharmed knew they needed to act quickly.

Sirens sounded in the distance and those that were working to save lives hoped that they could get there quickly. Security personnel rushed forward to assist the wounded and try to figure out a way to cover up the large holes left by the glass vacating its' frame. One of those men was Bob. He rushed outside praying and hoping he could find Officer Dubois. He hoped the man had had enough time to get away from the blast but he grew worried as he exited the building and found a large crater. The android had been loaded to the gills with explosives and to think that if it had gone off inside the building, it would have collapsed, killing hundreds of people.

"Officer Dubois! Can you hear me?" Bob shouted hoping he would get an answer as he picked his way through the debris. Plants had been incinerated, trees uprooted, and the trash cans had been impaled into the building. Knowing he didn't have time to take stock of the damage, he tried to ignore it but there was a smell that he couldn't ignore, death.

"Officer Dubois!" Again he shouted, again he got no response, as he tripped over something. Catching himself before falling, Bob turned to see what he tripped over and almost vomited. He had seen something like this before when he served overseas in the first Gulf War but he never expected to see it here at his hospital. He'd tripped over the lower portion of a human leg.

"Officer Dubois!" Another shout but again he was met by only background noise.

"Someone was out here when that thing went off?" One of his fellow security guards, a man by the name of Kevin, approached him.

"A LazyTown Police Officer. He was trying to get the explosives out of the hospital before they exploded," Bob explained.

"Good God," It was then that Kevin noticed the leg, he turned around and quickly vomited.

"He's dead isn't he?" Kevin asked after wiping his mouth off.

"I fear so. He's lost a lot of blood. If we're lucky the cold temps will have slowed the bleeding but…" Bob trailed off as he saw another leg over by what used to be the railing separating the concrete sidewalk and the parking lot. Slowly piecing it together, Bob knew the route the Officer had taken. He'd managed to get the android out into the parking lot - not an easy task once passed the first row of shoveled out vehicles – deposited the android and then tried to run for cover. He had hoped the deep snow would offer the hospital some protection, which it had as the outer façade was in fairly good shape considering what had just happened. The force of the explosion had thrown him against the railing which did not give as it was cemented into the sidewalk. His legs hit the railing and were severed as the pieces of car and bomb hit him. Then he saw something move.

"Officer Dubois!" Bob rushed to a piece of car door that was moving on the ground. Kevin rushed over to him and they carefully lifted the piece of twisted metal off the injured man. He was cut and bleeding everywhere and his legs were bleeding but not as profusely as Bob had originally thought they would. He had been right about the temperature though and he quickly removed his shirt and Kevin gave up his so they could tourniquet the wounded limbs. Then Kevin ran for help.

"We're going to get you help. You hang in there," Bob ordered.

"Leave me…" Dubois coughed.

"Never. You saved a lot of lives today. At the very least you deserved to be saved too," Bob said as a medical team rushed over to his location.

"Stephanie… she's…" Dubois didn't get anything else out as the medical team clamped an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

"I've got her," Bob told him before grabbing Kevin. They couldn't help Dubois anymore. It would be up to the doctors and nurses.

"We have to get upstairs. The people who blew up that android are coming for the people up there," he told him.

"Good thing I brought an extra shirt and handed out vests to people," Kevin said.

"Let's get a move on," Bob told him. They quickly worked their way back to the stairs and began the long climb. They had no idea those looking for Robbie, Sportacus, and Stephanie, were already on their way up. Just as Robbie predicted they were on their way and they had no intention of leaving without their quarry.


	31. Chapter 31

Sportacus's crystal screamed an alarm and it shook him awake. He looked down at his legs and discovered that once again without his prosthetics the skin where the doctor's had amputated was inflamed and his head swam with the pain medication he'd been given.

"Stephanie…" the sound of his voice made Nurse Rogers turn around from the piece of equipment she was looking at.

"She's safe with Robbie. Officer Dubois got Rottenella out of the building before she exploded," the nurse explained.

"Not safe…" he said pointing to his blaring crystal. The nurse nodded and poked her head out into the hall. Bob was not back yet but she saw security personnel running toward her.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"You have to stay here. We're posting guards here and at Robbie's room. Bob radioed ahead," the security guy who approached her explained.

"What about Officer Dubois, Mike?" She asked.

"He lost both of his legs in the explosion. Bob found him outside and they are trying to save him but it doesn't look good," Mike shook his head.

"Good Lord…" the nurse murmured.

"Let's hope he's around today as the backup we asked for still isn't here yet. The city is sending officers and emptying the firehouse for us but with the streets the way they are they won't be here for twenty minutes," Mike said.

"Which we don't have," Steve, another guard, walked into the room.

"How long do you think?" Mike wanted to know.

"I have reports from the lower floors that they have people trying to open the stairwell doors. It was good that Bob had everybody lock them but it only gives us about five minutes," Steve told him.

"Where are Bob and Kevin?" Mike asked.

"They're about five floors beneath our perps," Steve said.

"Damn. All right. Tell everyone, this is a shoot first and ask questions later situation. No one is going to die except the bad guys, got it?" Mike instructed.

"Yes, sir," Steve left the room to tell the others down the hall.

"What should we do?" Nurse Rogers asked.

"Pray that we can hold them off. Luckily we have some former police officers and war vets on staff but if these guys are as trained as Bob made them out to be, that might not be enough," he said before turning to Sportacus.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"No. My legs were ruined in the attempt to get Rottenella," Sportacus finally wet his whistle so he could get out a full sentence.

"All right, here's what we're going to do," Mike turned to Nurse Rogers, "Get a wheelchair. We're going to try to get him behind a locked door. If they have to come through me then so be it but I'll not give them an easy target," Mike continued.

"Give me a weapon," Sportacus said. Neither expected it from him and they gave him a look.

"Just do it. I'm not going out hiding," the above average hero told them. Mike smiled slightly and pulled out his backup weapon.

"You know how to shoot that thing?" The security guard asked.

"It's a little different than the rifle I have back home but I think I can manage," the hero said, cocking the weapon and checking the chamber. Mike chuckled and put a finger to his lips as they heard footsteps in the hall.

"It's just me," Steve announced. "The enemy is right below us," he said.

"Then let's give them a welcoming committee," Mike smirked as he left the room. With Sportacus armed, they could ambush the men headed their way.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violence in the chapter is graphic. Discretion may be advised.

"When do you suppose the FBI is coming?" Stephanie asked from behind the bathroom door.

"Not fast enough," the guard at the room, Jim, said as he shook his head.

"Amen brother," Robbie smirked.

"I imagine the airports are having trouble," the pink one said. She was trying to stay calm but she was having a difficult time of it. Her emotions were already on the edge of completely breaking loose and now they had assassins coming for them.

"Who are these guys?" Jim asked but before anyone could answer the sound of gunfire erupted in the hallway.

"We're about to find out," Stephanie said.

"I miss my bigger gun," Jim commented as he squeezed the grip on his nine millimeter.

"I miss life when the kids were still kids and there wasn't crazies running around," Robbie sighed. Stephanie wondered if he was serious when they heard a shout coming from the hallway. Jim recognized it and immediately left the safety of the room and went out into the hallway. Crouching low, he got behind the nurses' desk and made himself as small as he could. Steve and Mike had the assassin's pinned down in the doorway at the stairwell but they were running out of bullets and time. Slowly, Jim got one of the assassin's in his sight and squeezed the trigger.

The bullet hit its intended target squarely in the forehead. Brain matter and blood sprayed backwards and the man slumped to the ground. His buddy continued shooting at the guards using his dead comrade as a shield.

"Come out you bastard," Jim muttered to himself. However the man would not oblige and he continued to wait for his next opportunity. Then suddenly two shots were heard and then all was silent.

"It's us!" Bob shouted as he and Kevin emerged from the stairwell. Kevin locked the door behind him so they would not be surprised.

"Two men down but I don't think they'll be needing any medical assistance," Steve chuckled as Jim stood up from his hiding place.

"Only two?" Kevin asked.

"You mean there were more?" Mike asked.

"We had reports of multiple stairwell doors being attempted at the same time. No way one of these guys was going to take the whole floor," Bob didn't like what he was thinking and neither did the other men. Suddenly a shot rang out down the hallway and they all raced toward the sound. Jim peeled off to check on Robbie and Stephanie as the rest continued down to the hall to investigate.

Rounding the corner into Sportacus's room, they practically tripped over the body lying in the doorway.

"Is he alive?" The hero asked. Mike checked for a pulse and did not find one.

"I think you got him," Steve chuckled again as the pool of blood on the floor grew.

"Is that it? Is everybody safe?" Sportacus wanted to know.

"I guess it is. Seems a little anticlimactic doesn't it?" Bob wondered.

"That's what makes me nervous," the hero said right before his crystal went off for the second time. Everyone pointed their guns at the doorway but no one walked through.

"Check the body!" Kevin shouted. Quickly Steve checked the body and found a vest with a timer on it.

"God these guys love their explosives! Get the window!" Steve ordered. The windows didn't open and they quickly used their guns to make it open. Within moments the body was launched out the window and the resulting blast shook the windows as what remained of the man spewed out into the courtyard below.

"He wasn't as loaded as the android was," Bob commented. Then another explosion rocked the floor and they knew that the other two had been booby-trapped as well.

"Come on!" Bob ordered. They rushed out into the hall to survey the damage as the power went out.


	33. Chapter 33

"The generator!" Kevin shouted as they fumbled around in the darkness. The emergency lights had been running for too long as it was and they would not be coming back on until the generator had been restored.

"Ran out of gas?" Nurse Rogers asked. She'd followed them out into the hallway hoping to help anyone in need of assistance.

"We have enough gas to run for three days so I'm guessing our friends had help," Mike shook his head.

"You have to admit, they do not quit," Jim said.

"That's what makes them so dangerous," Steve pointed out.

"All right, lock down the floor and we'll try to hold here. Backup is here," Bob told them as they could hear the sirens approaching. He quickly got on the radio about the crazies at the generator and the security personnel from downstairs promised to lock it down.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait until we know that they got everybody?" Steve asked.

"I have no idea but with their training a lot of good men could be dead before those guys are caught," Jim said. They knew that their security training never called for an incident like this. Those who had been on the police force or in the armed services would be fine but those that were not didn't stand as equal of a chance. Then the radio crackled to life.

"I need to speak with Officer Dubois. This is Special Agent Patterson of the FBI," the voice said.

"Officer Dubois is currently being operated on. You have Bob, Head of Security, on the line."

"Bob, how many men do you think we're dealing with?" Patterson asked.

"My men and I killed three of them but I suspect the generator…"

"We got three guys at the generator; the bomb squad is taking care of their vests. Thanks for the heads up," the Special Agent interrupted.

"No problem. All right well with any luck that's all of them. There is no way to check unless we sweep the building floor by floor," Bob explained.

"We'll work our way up to you. Stay put and protect your charges," Patterson ordered.

"What about the lights?" Bob wanted to know.

"The generator is out of commission for the foreseeable future we're working on how to get power to those on machines. The power company says the grid should be back up and running soon but they said that three hours ago when we left SpringTown," Patterson told him.

"All right well we'll do what we can and hold until everything is clear," Bob said before the radio call ended.

"They sent six guys to kill Robbie, Sportacus, and Stephanie? Seems excessive considering they almost had them with Rottenella and that more than half the security force has no police or military training," Kevin said.

"It does but my guess is that these guys aren't your average whack jobs," Jim pointed out.

"They may have had a target but collateral damage meant nothing. They even were prepared to blow themselves up," Steve nodded.

"Then just be glad when Sportacus and the gang go home," Mike chuckled.


	34. Chapter 34

Two weeks passed and the reconstruction work was well underway across LazyTown and FunTown. Sportacus, Stephanie, and Robbie were released from the hospital and able to get around fairly well. Sportacus had new legs; Stephanie and Robbie were in wheelchairs for at least another week while their injuries healed.

The snow had long since begun to melt and now the ground was visible in some spots. Luckily there had been no snow since the major storm had passed through and the forecast was still working in the towns' favor. No major snows fall on the horizon and temperatures hanging around freezing.

Now everyone gathered to pay their respects to a man that sacrificed everything he could to save the hospital and its inhabitants. Officer Dubois was given full honors for his bravery and his service. The Mayor now stood in front of the group that had gathered.

"Today is a sad day as we remember the life and the service of Officer Dubois, one of LazyTown's finest. There are no words that could accurately describe his bravery, his selflessness, and his sense of duty. The best that I can do is grant him a promotion posthumously. So today we bury a friend, a brother in arms, and a great man. Detective First Class Dubois, you shall forever be remembered for all that you sacrificed and all that saved both here and in FunTown," Mayor Meanswell sighed as the honor guard took up their positions. Gunshots rang out in a twenty-one gun salute to the fallen policeman. The flag from his coffin, folded, and handed to his mother. He'd never settled down, his job, was his only passion and Stephanie chocked up at the sight of his mother falling to pieces, the flag in her lap, the only thing to remember her only child by. His father was gone and now she would be alone. Guilt tinged the tears that left the pink one's eyes. She felt responsible. Sportacus squeezed her hand, knowing that she needed it. They had a lot of emotions to sort out and the death of Dubois hit very hard.

With the ceremony over and the coffin being lowered into the hard frozen ground, Milford turned to Bessie. She had been the driving force behind getting the ceremony done while the ground was still frozen. The busybody wanted his mother to have some sort of closure and not open the wounds again when spring arrived. It was unorthodox but the Mayor agreed that they needed to do whatever they could for the hero. He'd survived the surgery but the shock of losing so much blood and his lower limbs was just too much. Dubois passed in his sleep before his mother managed to reach the hospital.

As the crowd dispersed, there was a family conspicuously missing. Amanda still lay in the hospital, the swelling in her spinal cord was taking a long time to come down and the doctors feared she'd never walk again. Pixel was beside himself and refused to leave her side. Roxie had been staying with Trixie and Stingy. Ransom, after being released from police custody, joined her and spent most of his time being very overprotective of the little one.

Later that evening, Robbie, Sportacus, Stephanie, Milford, and Chief Dooright gathered at the Chief's home. Special Agent Patterson promised to explain who the men were that had attacked the group in LazyTown and then again at the hospital and just exactly who they worked for.

"I'm glad you could join us, Miss Stephanie. I am so very sorry that we could not get here quicker," the agent gave a slight smile to the pink one and she half-smiled.

"I appreciate the thought," she told him.

"Just who are we dealing with?" Chief Dooright wanted to know. He was sure that what had happened wasn't an isolated incident.

"We believe the men that were killed or that committed suicide are part of a group of citizens that call themselves The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness. They seek out evil wherever it lurks and they try to assist that evil in any way they can. My guess is that they heard about Robbie's little stunt with Rottenella the first time and decided they were going to finish what he started. Which would explain why you were talking about Stephanie when they wheeled you out of surgery," Patterson looked at Robbie.

"I was not in cahoots with anyone then or now. If what you say is true then I had no knowledge they were coming. If I did, I would have warned somebody," Robbie said.

"I think it is well documented that Robbie has turned over a new leaf so my guess is that the news helped this group discover what Robbie had done," Sportacus pointed out.

"Possibly but I believe you know more than you're telling," Patterson again looked at Robbie.

"I have heard of these people but they were an urban legend. They didn't actually exist; it was only something we villains told ourselves would help us deal with our problems. As you've noticed they tried to kill me too," the purple wearing man said.

"Yes, it seems that they wanted you gone as well. That is why I am setting up an FBI office here in LazyTown. We'll be helping your police force out until the matter is resolved," the Special Agent told them.

"Sounds like an idea. We have no idea if they intend to strike again," Dooright agreed.

"Exactly my point. They could be anywhere and I have no doubt they will try again," Patterson nodded.


	35. Chapter 35

"It's getting nippy again out there," Sportacus said as he made sure to pull on his coat over his vest. He was used to cold temperatures but the ferocity of the wind was relatively nasty today. The weatherman said that the temps with the wind chill felt like ten degrees outside and there was no way he was going to catch a cold now.

"Yes I guess it is," Stephanie sighed. She was finally free of the wheelchair but still need crutches to get around. The two had taken to living with the former Mayor again as Stephanie's place was not very handicapped friendly and Sportacus was waiting on a new airship. He'd made a long distance phone call to someone and spoke in his native tongue when he was on the line so Stephanie wasn't entirely sure what had transpired but he had said that by springtime he'd have a new airship.

"You ok?" He asked as he helped her with her coat. The Mayor was going to drive them to the hospital to visit Amanda and he wanted to be sure that Stephanie was ready to head back there. She turned and gave him a slight smile. He could tell her emotional scars were running very deep. The two of them had hardly done anything physical except hold hands and they had obeyed the therapist's orders as far as what they needed to do to get passed the loss of their baby.

"Steph…" he gave her the "I know you want to say something" look and she smirked.

"Is what we're doing good for us?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He was confused at what she was trying to say.

"If we're going to get beat up all the time was it even worth it trying to bring a child into this world?" The pink one clarified.

"If my family had believed that I wouldn't be here," he pointed out before quickly adding,

"We have to live our lives. We cannot let evil dictate what we do otherwise evil will win." She nodded thoughtfully and he leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

"Now you know that I love you more than anything in this world and that I would go to Hell and back to be at your side, so believe me when I say that, if you never want to have children or of you don't even want to get married anymore. I will understand. My love will never die and I will always be near you to pick you up when you fall," he told her. Tears started to form in Stephanie's eyes and she dropped her crutches, quickly grabbing onto his waist and holding him tight.

"I love you," she mumbled into his coat.

"And I you," he repeated his earlier sentiment before carefully scooping her up. He exited the house and got her settled into the car. He popped back into the house and grabbed the crutches.

"Ready to go?" Milford asked as he slipped on his coat.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" Sportacus wondered.

"I've seen a lot of things in my day but I know for sure that Stephanie will be ok. You two have something incredible and without each other, I would worry but you have each other and you have everyone here to help. Just as I'm sure Amanda will be fine as well. It may take a while but LazyTown always manages to pull together," the former Mayor smiled.

"That is true," Sportacus smiled and they quickly left the house and piled into the car. The ride over was silent but Stephanie had grabbed the hero's hand and squeezed it. They would be all right. Milford's words floated around in Sportacus' head as he squeezed her hand back. LazyTown and her people always bounced back and they would be ready for anything.

**The End**


End file.
